The Champion's Beginning
by Pure Gamer
Summary: Cynthia never wanted to become a trainer, but she left on a journey much bigger than herself: to become Sinnoh League Champion. When there were sudden attacks on helpless towns, a current, suspicious champion who Cynthia couldn't trust, and an unhelpful "presence" watching her every move; she had Sinnoh resting on her shoulders. Rated T for violence and dark themes.
1. Prologue

_Prologue_

_With Every Legend, There's a Beginning_

"No, I don't want to be a trainer," said I to Grandfather.

"Why are you so stubborn?" He replied chuckling. Not being able to sustain it, I grinned at him; even though every being in my determined childhood body told me not to. There was something contagious in the way my grandfather laughed.

Finding myself thinking about that memory again made me rapidly shake my head. My thick blonde locks fell from their molds behind my ears and flopped in front of my eyes. Pushing them back in their places like I always did, I looked back at my textbook and notepad, then quickly at the clock hanging on the wall. _Almost one-thirty, I'm done. _I closed the large book dramatically and a sense of accomplishment welled in my chest. It was nothing new; I got that feeling almost every day. If it be brought on because of school or chore completion, or something like completing a book, cooking a meal, talking my best friend out of an emotional breakdown…Which happened more often than one might think.

Nevertheless, I tried to be productive with my time. That _was_ the way I was raised. My grandparents rubbed off on me that way. They were never strict enough to force their ways upon me, though, I think it's because they wanted to raise me like my parents might have. Might have—yes—they died a long time ago, when I was only three years old. In the same accident, even. Both drowned. I hardly remember them, and I'm very happy I ended up with my grandparents. Grandmother is my hero. She's strong and brave; yet caring and compassionate. Grandfather was more adventurous, and hearing stories of how he dragged Grandmother into situations she _did not _like were the best. But, he passed away five years ago when I was nine. He was old and ill, we saw it coming. That doesn't mean that trial was any easier. Our lives had to change. Grandmother took Grandfathers place as Town Elder and had to get to work. She worked alongside Grandfather beforehand, but he did most of the work; leaving her time to teach me and keep up with things at the house. She made the change very gentle on me, and I didn't realize it at the time but it put a lot of stress on her.

Eventually everything evened out, however. Now I feel just as inclined to take care of her as she is to take care of me. We help each other. Still, the hurt of losing my grandfather haunts me. And I know it haunts Grandmother, too. She never shows it. Just like all my life she never showed hurt over my parents; her daughter and son-in-law. I knew it was there, just from the winces and eye-twitches.

All-in-all, living in Celestic was good. The small town ambiance was comforting. Everyone knew each other on at least a semi-personal level, and almost everyone had the same occupation: Researcher. Here to study the mysterious Cornet Mountain or the ruins. That was what drew my grandparents and…Everybody else here. Besides that, there's nothing to offer. This is unfortunate, because I didn't necessarily want to be a researcher or something along those lines. Even though everyone in my family has been a researcher, starting with my grandfather, the Pokémon historian; Grandmother and her love of literature; my mom and her obsession with foliage; and my dad, who was a Pokémon expert. Because of Grandfather I've had a love for Pokémon, but delayed my leaving to become a trainer. I had no reason to leave and, frankly, I didn't want to.

The front door opened and jolted me out of my thoughts. Grandmother walked in and smiled at me, "hello there, Cynthia."

"Hello," I greeted, "you're home early." Usually, Grandmother wasn't home until around four in the afternoon.

She unraveled her green scarf from her neck and took off her boots before sitting across from me at the table. "Things went by rather quickly and there was no more need for me to be there. Are you hungry?"

While clearing the small table of my school stuff I shook my head. "No thank you, Grandmother." I placed the books and things on a shelf nearby, then leaned over and hugged her. It was a quick embrace, but enough. Grandmother sighed contently and stood from her seat. She moved over to the television and clicked it on. The screen fuzzed for a minute before it cleared. Jubilife news was on, as usual. I sat next to her on the floral-print sofa and relaxed.

They were going on about Champion Lea, the Sinnoh champion, and I scoffed. Grandmother gave me a look of disappointment, hating judgment. She knew how I felt about Lea. Honestly, I didn't like him. His look on things was stupid, and I didn't believe he could handle the power. There were so many things he _claimed _to have fixed about our region that weren't fixed. Or, things that _should_ have been fixed were dealt with in ways that didn't make them better. I've always felt this way, ever since I was younger and would listen to Grandfather rant about him. He didn't get quite as angry and I seem to get, but his anger for the champion was there. Now, I feel like if I don't rant about Lea, nobody will and that will somehow let my grandfather down. At least that's Grandmothers explanation of my ranting.

"This is the result of the newest attack," the news lady said. A picture of a row of buildings up in flames was shown.

"Attack?" I echoed.

"Yes," Grandmother said gently, "they think someone is attacking cities. Yesterday Sunyshore's lighthouse was bombed."

"Champion Lea couldn't put a stop to this happening in Veilstone fast enough, but Steven and I predict _more_ of these kinds of attacks. The question is…What town is next?" The news logo spun around the screen and a commercial played.

"Oh, no." I muttered.

"Yes…It is quite scary. Hopefully we're kept out of this foolishness." She said, 'we' referring to Celestic Town. She shook her head and lowered her gaze to the ground.

"I bet Jubilife's next, the studio, to be precise. That would get people talking."

"I hope it just ends and this person stops." Grandmother shook her head again, murmuring something I didn't hear.

That seemed like something she would say. She was smart enough to know that this wouldn't just _stop_, but she was caring enough to genuinely hope it would. That's why everyone loved her. In town she was known as Grandmother Carolina to almost all the children, and there was no one who disliked her. She was someone you could easily open-up to, yet she didn't pry. That was something I really loved about her. Whenever she would catch me crying, for whatever reason, she would just hug me and be on her way. I didn't need to talk about it, and she knew and respected that.

Jubilife News came back on, and they were going on about a big contest that had happened the night before. Not caring about it, I stood up and started for the front door. "I'm going to find Jamie, I'll see you later." I looked over my shoulder and she smiled and nodded.

The cold, chilling springtime air felt refreshing on my skin. There was something about the cold that was nice, in a way, although some might disagree. I wasn't against heat, but heat was so muggy and sticky. You felt like you were walking through an ocean of warm air. Cold was the opposite of that; it was what I was used to, and what I liked.

Walking down the path that led to the shop, where Jamie—my best friend—lived, I saw her and her younger sister Clarice sitting outside. Jamie, Clarice and their mother Bianca lived with Bianca's parents Lilliana and Abe. They owned the shop; the biggest building in town and the place where Grandmother worked. Also being researchers, they had quite the collection of books and artifacts from the ruins and mountain. They lived here when I moved in, and Grandmother was anxious to have us meet.

Luckily, a great friendship blossomed between Jamie and I. A lot of families have moved in and out through the years, but Jamie has been the only one to be here the whole time.

"Hey!" She called and waved. She stood up and ran over to me, flinging herself into a hug I couldn't avoid. "It's been a while since I've seen you!"

"You mean last night, when we ate dinner at your house?"

She let go of me and stepped back. "Oh," she made a questioning face, then grinned, "oh yeah!"

"Cyn-Cyn," Clarice said, and then hopped into my arms.

Awkwardly, I held her while she hugged my neck and squirmed in my hold, "Hello Clarice," I smiled at her before putting her back down. Jamie wrapped her arm around mine and we started back towards my cabin. Next to my cabin sat a tiny, mirror-like pond that I kind of claimed as mine. It was so relaxing and easy to sit there, stick your feet in, and think. Jamie sat at the water's edge and patted the lush grass next to her. While sitting down, I saw my wavering reflection in the water.

We chatted aimlessly, or more accurately Jamie chatted aimlessly and I listened, for a short while until Ember approached us. He was the other teenager in town, and the three of us made the teenage population of Celestic. Ember had only lived there for about a year, but it didn't take long for the three of us to become friends. His parents, Isis and Don, were here temporarily researching Cornet Mountain for a research facility in Veilstone.

That made Celestic Town's population, except for a few other families or researchers that were just visiting.

He wore a somber expression on his face as he sat. Jamie and I looked at each other, then back at him. It was very unlikely for him to be so quiet and depressed-looking. "What's wrong?" I asked, waiting for a joke or something ridiculous.

"I've just been thinking a lot about my life." He sighed.

"What about your life?" Jamie questioned, also waiting for the joke.

He looked at her with so much seriousness it paralyzed me with shock. "Like what I'm going to do. I'm fifteen, dang it, I've got to figure it out. There's a part of me who wants to become a trainer, there's a part of me who wants to stay here and be a researcher, and there's a part of me who wants to travel around Sinnoh forever. My parents are pushing me out of the house, it seems, and I can't make a decision."

We were silent. Nothing like that had ever come out of Ember Tate's mouth. "Your parents are pushing you out of the house?" Said Jamie finally, disbelief strong in her tone.

"Well…Yeah. They've been asking me _a lot _about figuring out what I want to do, and they've never done that before. It's like they're ready for me to leave."

"I am certain that's not it," I said, "like any parent they want you to know what you want to do. Granted, most people these days figure it out when they're ten, but that's not the point."

"Do _you _know what you want to do? No." Ember chided defensively. I frowned and didn't say anything.

"Em, it's not a big deal that you're having trouble figuring it out. Not many people are as blessed with dreams like me." Jamie motioned to herself and grinned.

"We _all_ know about your _following in your family's footsteps researcher Town Elder _thing, Jamie. But that's not me." I slightly chuckled at Ember's scary accurate impression of Jamie's girly voice.

"So cross researcher off your list. You're left with trainer," Jamie held up one hand, "or traveler," she held up the other.

Ember slapped his forehead, "no, no, no. I don't want to be a hydrologist or a historian like my parents, but there could be something else for me! I could move to Sandgem and work for Professor Rowan, even." I rolled my eyes. Professor Rowan wasn't someone I liked. Granted, I never met the man, but the way people idolize a professor bothered me; especially our professor, who literally never did anything.

Ember saw me roll my eyes and shot me a mad look, "he's my hero." He added, his voice a combination of a defensive whisper and a pitiful chide. He had been saying that since he read the professor's biography a few months back, which was the smallest biography I had ever seen, mind you. Ember scoffed at me.

"Well, he's not as impressive as you seem to believe. He's never in the news, never does anything spectacular, and just sits in his lab alone all day."

"So you don't even want me to meet him?!"

"Calm down, Em." Jamie said gently.

"That's not what I meant—"

"It kind of _seemed _like that's what you meant. Forget it," he stood up and stomped away. I gaped at him as he left, a bit shocked at the whole thing.

Jamie noticed my worry, "don't worry about it. He's a drama queen." She laughed.

"I just can't get over the fact he was talking about such a topic."

"Me neither, Cyn. And you would never guess he'd be so bamboozled over something like that. He was genuinely confused and…Worried. But I don't think his mom and dad want him out of the house, he's an only child, they would be lost without him." She started to laugh, then looked at me and stopped. "Not saying anything about only children, though…" I glared at her. "Siblings are overrated." She sheepishly smiled.

Ignoring her last sentences, I continued: "Ember's parents don't want him out of the house, they just want him to think about those kinds of things."

"Yeah, it's probably good for him. Have you thought about your grand scheme?"

"Honestly…Not really." I sighed. "What am I doing with my life?" I flopped on my back dramatically.

She laughed, "not you, too. Let's wait until the drama queen figures out his life, and then we can work on yours. Okay?" Typical Jamie: Desperately wanting to fix everybody's problems. She twirled her brunette hair around her finger. "So guess what my granddad said the other day," before I could answer, she continued. "He said that when he became a trainer, before he settled down and took the route of a researcher, this old man told him a story about…" she went into full story telling mode. I had lost her. Her gaze was far-off, her fingers were knotting into her hair, and she was talking so fast that, unless you were a professional Jamie speaker, you couldn't keep up.

After a while of sitting and talking like that, I said farewell to my friend and entered the cabin. Grandmother sat on the sofa, much like I left her, except she had an old book in her hand. I walked through the living room, not saying a word to my lost-in-a-book grandmother.

Our home was very small and cozy; the kitchen, living and dining room combination sometimes got claustrophobic, but I was used to it. Off to the side of the room was a short hallway leading to the bathroom, my room, Grandmothers room and Grandfathers study. The rooms were annoyingly tiny, but that was just something else I got used to. When you opened my bedroom door you had to mind the bottom of my twin-sized bed. Once you stepped in, there were only two steps to be taken in-between the bed and my desk and dresser.

Normally, one can really learn a lot about a person from their room. Jamie's room at the shop is so her it hurts. The walls are vibrant blue—of course they can afford paint—the bedding and throw rug are matching purple and everything else is either pink or bright green. However, my room was not a reflection of me. The walls were off-white and the carpet was gray, and the quilt on the bed was yellow. Apart from the colors, there was nothing personal on display or anything of the like. The only thing was the lone picture of my parents framed on the desk. It was the only one I had. They stood in front of another house, arms wrapped around each other, smiling happily. Grandmother always told me I looked like my mom, and I could partially see it. Obviously I got my long, profuse blonde hair from her. But her effervescent eyes were green, not gray like mine and Grandmothers. My dad, on the other hand, had a mess of brown curls falling onto his forehead.

Realizing I was smiling, I stopped. It hurt to think about them in ways I can't logically explain. Missing someone you never knew is rough.

Grandmother knocked on the door and startled me out of my thoughts, again. I opened the door, and she smiled at me, "dinner's ready, dear." She stepped away after I nodded, and I sneaked a peek at the picture again. They were the same; happy, smiling. A smile came back to my lips, and I didn't scare it away.

* * *

><p>Hearing a loud thump in the distance, I clenched my eyes and groaned. <em>It's not time to wake up. <em>Thought I, when trying to convince myself it was okay to stay in-bed. The best thing to try was to squish my face into the pillow so hard I would turn back time a few hours and I would have no other choice but to go back to sleep. Alas, it was too late. I was awake, and there was nothing I could do about it. Lifting my head I saw the sun beams flowing in through the sheer curtains. That was peculiar, most mornings the whole town is ridden with pasty fog and a cloudy sky.

Rolling out of bed was a tough task, as it is most of the time, but standing up and stretching was harder. Finally, I walked out into the living room. Grandmother was already up and dressed, cooking away for breakfast. She smiled and said a greeting, and I just nodded. She sat a bowl of mashed berries and a piece of toast in front of me at the table, and then walked over to the television. She clicked it on, and the screen shook. She hit the side as hard as she could, and it snapped back to normal. She muttered something I couldn't hear.

"What is it?" I craned my head and looked at the thing.

"Another attack, it seems…On Solaceon."

Not wanting to miss what the news had to say, I was silent. She watched until the next commercial, and then came over and sat.

"They bombed Solaceon's ruins. Why? Why would anyone hurt such a small town?"

"I'm not certain, Cynthia. They obviously did _not _like what the Unknown Writing said." She sat across from me and looked at her food.

"What did it say?"

"_All who is good and kind will be rewarded over time, all who is not, will see the lot of darkness._"

"Is it true?" I asked.

"In a way, yes. Keep in mind it was written by Pokémon, so who knows their meaning behind it. It isn't something very philosophic, it's simple. Most believe that doing good brings good, and doing bad brings bad. _Most _of the time that's true in all situations, I don't see the reasoning for not liking such a saying, but…" She sighed, and I nodded.

The news came back on. Champion Lea was on screen, talking on stage. "People of Sinnoh, these _attacks _are nothing to fret about. The fire in Veilstone was most likely an innocent accident, there were plenty of flammable perfumes being sold in those shops. This recent bombing is being looked into much too deeply. Think of the Unknown in those ruins, they could have used a move such as Hidden Power on the writing themselves." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Don't worry, it's all under control." He smiled right into the camera, and it clicked back to Jubilife's studio. I shut off the television in frustration.

"_How _do people believe that…That…"

"Cynthia, please don't start."

"Are you saying _you _believe him?" I shot her a questionable look.

"Not necessarily. There are little to no facts here. I do think that there's danger about and Lea is treating it a little too…Peacefully. But you don't need to get worked up." She smiled at me and motioned back to my seat. Sighing, I began cooling off.

"Headed to the shop?" I asked, noticing she was already dressed and ready.

"Yes, Lilliana has important things to discuss. What are your plans?"

"I will probably be with Jamie and Ember today." _That is, if Ember has calmed down. _She nodded and picked at her food. After eating she said goodbye and headed out. I went back to my room and changed into my favorite black pants and a sweatshirt before throwing my hair up and walking towards Jamie's.

Grandmother had beaten me there but stood outside talking thoughtfully to Lilliana. Bypassing them, I walked through the door and into the shop. The shop had a lot of museum-like qualities, such as artifacts in glass casings and paintings with captions lining the walls. It also had a library, which was a tiny room lined with bookshelves and a small desk. It was about the same size as Grandfathers study, barely being qualified as a library.

Jamie must have heard the door and walked in. "Hey, Cyn!" She exclaimed and attacked me with a hug. We walked into the living room and sat on the sofa. "So Ember is still being dramatic, I guess. I haven't heard from him today."

"Let him get over it, like he always does." I shrugged, then said: "Did you hear about the bombings and fire?"

"Yes, it's terrible! What will Veilstone be now? Their row of shops is gone. Someone was killed in the accident too, you know. And the bombing, they lost the top of their lighthouse. They're rebuilding now, but do you think that someone's trying to make a statement? I mean, the lighthouse and the shops are both things that make those towns famous, same with Solaceon's ruins." She sighed and shook her head.

"Lea isn't doing anything about it either…Do you think he has something to do with it? I know he's the champion and all, but still," said I.

"You're kidding, right? Lea wouldn't bomb his own region. Not when he's responsible for it."

"Just look at the past, Jamie. He allows non-vegetarianism, hunting Pokémon, and he doesn't let Pokémon be treated right. Plus, he's not trying to stop these attacks now."

"Not everyone's a vegetarian, Cyn. And I see your point—they're good points, yes—but _really_? He doesn't seem that evil. I don't agree with his outlook and his reasoning's but that's just extreme."

Scoffing, I said, "hardly extreme. You don't know what he's capable of."

"True, very true." She nodded and twirled her hair around; a habit she would never get over. "Someone just needs to replace him, huh?"

"Yes, that would be great." I slightly chuckled, and she smiled.

"Too bad no one tries." Jamie murmured, and I gave her a questionable look. "I mean…He intimidates everyone, or no one _really _wants it. They make it a few gyms in and quit." She shrugged, and then grinned. "Maybe Ember will be the next Sinnoh Champion."

Taking the comment seriously, I said, "no, he hates pressure. He wouldn't do well."

It was silent for a moment, and then Jamie jumped up and pulled me with her. "Cynthia!"

"What?!"

"You should do it! You should be the champion! No one is more qualified." She bounced up and down and gave me an excited expression so ridiculous I can't explain it.

Speechless, I just stood there looking at her. That scenario hadn't gone through my head, ever. Always assuming I'd someday become a trainer, I never thought much about it. Now thinking about it…I didn't want to leave. I couldn't leave. "No," shaking my head, I sat back down.

"…_What?!_ Cynthia! Listen to me…You've always talked about your ideas for, well, everything…Plus, I'm your best friend, and I know what's best."

Laughing, I said: "Jamie…Thank you, but really, no. Grandmother needs me around."

"Maybe _you _need Grandmother around. Seriously, she's a strong woman. She can handle it, and she's got us. If you _really _dislike Champion Lea so much, you need to do something about it."

The thought struck me. As much as I disliked Lea, I never thought about _replacing _him. Seeing him out of the League, maybe even behind bars if I could prove something, made that thought severely tempting. My mind started to race. The thought of what a voyage it would be made me shutter, but the newly uncovered excitement buzzed around, too. Thinking back to the suddenly reoccurring memories of Grandfather and I discussing me being a trainer flooded back all at once. Back in those days I didn't even _want _to be a trainer. Now, I somewhat did, but not as much as some people.

"Cyn!" She yelled, getting my attention again.

"That's not a terrible idea." I slightly smiled, and she grinned and squealed. "But…Where do I even start?" I tried to recall where the first gym was located, and I presumed it was Oreburgh; which was three towns over.

Jamie shrugged, "going to see the professor isn't a bad idea."

"No thank you, I don't want to."

"C'mon, it's a good idea! He could give you Pokémon or—"

"I don't need a Pokémon from _him,_ actually. And he has never done that...Or at least that anyone knows about. He isn't Professor Oak." I reproved.

"I've watched some television, Missy, I know how the world turns. You need an interview or something, you can't just self-proclaim yourself as a trainer." She raised her eyebrows at me. She had a point.

"Not from him. Therefore, I don't need to see him."

"What about your granddad, didn't they know each other?" She asked, knowing she was about to make a solid point.

"Yes…They were friends, I think." I sighed in defeat since I knew where this was going.

"Then he can't be that bad, right? He'll probably have great advice and everything. Go see him first." She grinned excitedly, and I nodded. "Cynthia's going to be the champion!" She yelled, and I slapped my hand over her mouth.

"Grandmother doesn't know yet! She could hear you."

"Sorry," she said through my hand. I moved it and she grinned again. "Let's tell Ember!"

"Let me do it later, okay?" I asked and she nodded.

"Do what later?" A soft voice asked. Jamie and I looked at the doorway and Grandmother stood there, smiling at me. We didn't say anything for a minute, and I could see the concern growing on her face. "Do what later, Cynthia?" She repeated with just as much gentleness, yet seriousness in there somewhere.

Jamie nudged me, and then downright shoved me so hard I stood up. "I have something to discuss with you." I murmured, a bit unsure of myself.

She nodded, relieved I finally said something. "Let us go home and we can discuss it." She smiled reassuringly and motioned for me to follow. Looking at Jamie, she gave me a double thumbs-up and mouthed 'you got it' to me.

We walked home and sat at the wooden table. Feeling a little guilty for pulling Grandmother from her work, I gulped and hesitated before saying anything. "What is it you have to say, dear?"

"Well, Grandmother," I took a deep breath and decided to just lay all the cards on the table, "I have decided to become a trainer."

Wincing, I waited for a response. Fretting the worst possible thing made the time slow down. It felt like hours had gone by, every second ticking by loudly like on a grandfather clock; when in reality only a second had.

"That's absolutely wonderful!" Grandmother beamed at me. Shocked by her answer, I said nothing. Half expecting her to break down in pitiful tears was selfish of me, but her being overly excited was unexpected.

"Apparently I am going to Sandgem to see Professor Rowan first, too." I added as she jumped up and speed-walked past me.

"Great," I heard her say from Grandfathers study. She walked back in and handed me an envelope and a Pokéball. "This is from your grandfather. He wrote it many a year ago, when he first became ill and feared the worst."

My heart jumped, and I hesitated. Opening the envelope and taking out the still fresh piece of paper, I read it.

_Dearest Cynthia, _

_I remember the days where you dreaded being a trainer. While holding you in my arms I would ask you, "Don't you want to be a trainer?" and you would respond, "No, silly!" Things have barely changed, have they not? Except, your love for Pokémon has overpowered, much like with me, and you want to be a trainer. I knew you would. You have passion that you don't even understand yet; same with a good, kind heart. Even if you scare people sometimes with your stubbornness, you have potential that your grandmother and I have always seen. _

_You should have also received a Pokéball; in it contains a Pokémon I caught for you. I hope Grandmother Carolina can assist you, because as much as I want to be there, I cannot. I'm so proud of you, and I know in my heart you are making the right choices in doing what is best. _

_Much Love, _

_Grandfather Winnie _

Reading those words made my heart pang even harder in my chest. Although, an odd surge of confidence flowed through my body and I looked up and smiled at my grandmother. She returned a smile, and opened the front door.

"Let's see this Pokémon," said I as I stepped out. She handed me the thing, and I pressed the button and held it pointing away from me—something I had, admittedly, never done before. A beam of light shot out and morphed into a Pokémon. It was small and blue with a red chest and stomach. It had a large head and mouth; which was agape as it stared at me.

"She's a Gible, Winnie caught her in Wayward Cave." Grandmother explained, and I nodded and smiled at her.

"She's great." The Pokémon made a cooing noise, then I returned her; knowing that Pokémon weren't allowed to be wandering about. (Another one of Lea's laws) I spun around and faced Grandmother. "You won't be lonely?"

"It will certainly be different, Cynthia. But this is the way it should be. I have good feelings about this." She pushed my hair back behind my ears, and I instinctively grabbed her for a hug. _Leaving is going to be harder than I thought._

* * *

><p>My hands were shoved in my jacket pockets as I walked. Springtime nights were quite cold in Celestic Town, so much so that winter jackets were needed. <em>I will miss this. <em>I thought. All day I had that same thought about every little thing. The smell of Grandmothers mixed vegetable soup—which I wasn't fond of, we just ate it on a daily basis because it's all we could afford—the buzzing sound the television made when it was first turned on, the creaking old doors, the lingering smell of pine found randomly around the house; all these little things I had never thought twice about.

Now, I was going to tell one of my best friends I was going to be leaving the next day. _That _was rough. The feeling of sadness was strongly laying on me. Knowing I couldn't escape it, I pushed the feelings away and kept walking with my head held high. Nearing Ember's house, I saw him laying outside in the light shining through one of his windows.

"Hello." I sat next to him.

"Hey, Cyn. I heard you're going to be a trainer." Rolling my eyes mentally at the thought of Jamie, I sighed.

"She can't keep a secret." I murmured.

He laughed, "nope." He sounded like he was in a good mood, so I felt relief. "I've decided to be all three of those things I mentioned earlier." I saw him grin at me in the darkness.

"Oh yeah? Which one first?"

He shrugged, "to heck if I know. Maybe I'll become a trainer and beat you to the league."

"Doubtful, I'm leaving tomorrow." Superiority rang in my tone, and he raised one eyebrow.

"_Doubtful_?! Do you have no faith in me, Cynthia Marie?!" Alas,

Wincing at my middle name, I said: "Don't call me that,"—he had and would always call me that—"Plus, I do have faith in you, but I'm kind of getting a head start. Sorry, Ember Donald." I smirked, and he shook his head.

"It'll be different without you. Me and Jamie will be so bored…All the time."

"You two will be _fine_, you both are great at entertaining yourselves." I muttered, and he laughed.

"At least you'll be doing something right. You belong somewhere big, using your voice, making a difference. I'm happy for you." He stood up, and I followed his lead. He'd never said anything like that to me before, so I didn't say anything for a moment, and we were in silence.

"Grandmother's probably wondering where I am…I've got so much to do."

He nodded. "You better not leave without saying goodbye, Cynthia _Marie."_

"I won't." I glared at him, then quickly gave him a hug.

Starting my walk back home, I felt really good about my decision. I didn't think I would, but I did. I felt at peace with myself. Not knowing where I would be in a week, or even a day, was scary; but I knew that sometime, someday, I would be the Sinnoh Champion.

* * *

><p><strong>*This chapter has been hardcore editedrewritten. **

**Authors Note: **Hey guys! Welcome to The Champion's Beginning. Here's the deal: I wrote this story completely almost a year ago, (Took me a year and a half...Longest thing I've ever written...*cough* 453 pages *cough*...Yeah, I'm quite proud) and I've grown a lot as a writer since then. Maybe yall can't tell, but I sure can. So much so, I mouth-barfed when I reread this story. Therefore, I'm beginning the lengthy process of rewriting/editing this entire story! If you see this at the end of the chapter: *This chapter has been hardcore edited/rewritten. Then you've got a fresh chapter, if not, then...Well...THE POINT IS: I won't completely rewrite every chapter like I did this one, but I will be changing it grammatically. The plot and everything will be exactly the same. I'll try to "update" the next chapter weekly/whenever I can.

So, this is my take on Champion Cynthia's life leading up to her reign. I've put a lot of effort into this story and molding the characters and everything, so I do hope you enjoy! Leave a review, I love feedback (especially reviews so long they're too long for the email. Those are cool), and I'll probably get back to you if you have any questions. Thanks! Stay excellent!


	2. Leaving

_Chapter One: Leaving_

_With Every Legend, There's a Beginning _

The morning came and slapped me across the face. It was one of those mornings where I felt like I didn't get enough sleep and I wasn't ready to wake up. However, Grandmother sauntered into my room, ripped the blankets off of me quite viscously, threw open the curtains—even though it was so early the sun hadn't risen—exclaimed, "today's the day!" then left.

Grandmother noticed my long silence as I sat on the sofa. "Are you okay, dear?" She asked, trying to sound concerned but her cheeriness overpowered pretty much everything else. I nodded, even though I wasn't sure.

"When you left…" I choked on the word, "were you scared?"

"Absolutely, leaving home for the first time was so frightening to me. But I know you will be fine." She smiled reassuringly at me, and I fake smiled back. Getting up from the couch, I walked over to the kitchen and attempted to find something for breakfast. Apparently, we were out of berries totally, and there were no components for bread or pancakes._ Vegetable soup for breakfast, how appetizing._ I thought.

While zoning out during cooking, worries flew through my head. Was I ready? Could I do it without dying? Or getting lost? Or losing Gible? I thought about Gible. She was in her Pokéball on my desk. Was I even ready for a Pokémon? Well, I _must_ be ready for a Pokémon because Grandfather caught one and was going to give me one… Right? Plus Grandmother told me she thought I was ready, and she had been so excited she reorganized my messy drawers so I could pack easier. I hadn't even packed yet, I groaned.

"Here you go." I mumbled and handed Grandmother a small bowl of soup. She tasted it without saying a word, and stood up and grabbed a thing of seasoning. She sprinkled some in her bowl then mine, and I brought the spoon up to my lips. She made the bowl ten-times better. I would never be the cook she is.

A look of concern was on her face now. "Cynthia…Just promise me that, no matter what, you'll be careful. I don't know what's going on with these attacks, and how safe or not the region is for a new trainer, but nevertheless, I don't want you to postpone your journey…So promise me, okay?"

"I promise. I'll be fine. It's not a warzone or something, Grandmother, but…I will take caution and be safe." I gave her a reassuring smile.

Not realizing how hungry I was until I ate, I finished the bowl hastily. "I guess I should pack up." It was pitiful how uncertain I sounded, and for a second I thought of that as a sign that I shouldn't be leaving.

"Quickly, Cynthia. You want to leave soon. It will take you a few days to get to Sandgem."

Groaning again, I made my way to my room and to my dresser. I grabbed handfuls of clothes, not caring enough about it, and stuffed them into the black duffle bag Grandmother had given me. Rifling through my desk for anything else I may need, I found a Sinnoh map and put that in the easy-accessible side pocket, along with Gible's Pokéball. Then, I went into the bathroom for a few other necessities. That was about it for packing.

"I have a going-away present for you…" Grandmother stood in the doorway. She held out something wrapped in newspaper. I quickly uncovered and examined it. It was an oddly shaped rock with a crack trailing down it. "We found it in the ruins last year. I found an old legend that said it is a good luck charm. I want you to have it."

"Oh, thank you so much." I quickly embraced her and tried not to sound confused as I stuffed the rock in my bag. "I guess I'm ready…" I trailed off, originally wanting to continue but I just couldn't say the words 'to leave.'

"Great," she said cheerfully and beamed at me. She led me back into the living room and opened an old cookie jar on the counter, pulling out a wad of money. "This is to get you started. It should be enough."

"You have done so much for me, Grandmother." I said. My eyes started to fill with tears.

"Of course I have, I love you." She wrapped her arms around me.

"I love you too." I whispered. I clenched my eyes to keep the tears back.

A knock on the door interrupted us, and I swiftly walked over to answer it; clearing my face of any emotion as I did. As soon as I turned the knob, the door exploded open and Jamie flung herself into my arms. "I thought we could have missed you!" She quickly stepped out of the embrace, "Why haven't you left yet? Is _somebody _getting cold feet?!"

"_No,_ I'm getting ready to leave. I wouldn't leave without saying goodbye to you two." I nodded to Jamie and Ember. He didn't say anything as he opened his arms and I hugged him; hiding my face in his shoulder so no one could see my moist eyes. This was so much harder than I ever expected. The last twenty-four hours was such a blur, such an odd dream-like memory, that it was hard for me to believe it was real. Now, not for the first time, a thought crept into my mind. Am I making the wrong choice? In my heart I believed I was. But after all the reassurance of my Grandmother this morning I knew I wasn't. I was going to make everyone proud.

A tap on my back reminded me I wasn't sitting on my bed alone, like I normally was when in I was deep in thought, I was still hiding in Ember's shoulder. I let go and took in fresh air, refusing to meet anyone's eyes.

"I'm going to miss you so much," said Jamie almost inaudibly. Her cheeks became flushed and I knew that meant she was going to cry so I hugged her again. My urge to cry had receded with my worries, which I was thankful for. Knowing I couldn't let my friends and grandmother see the future champion being a bawling fourteen-year-old, I kept my cool.

"I'll be back soon, and I'll keep you all posted." I said, keeping my tone even and my voice strong. Grandmother nodded at me, and I made the mistake of looking at her eyes. They were glossed over with tears, and that was such a stab in the stomach.

"Good," said Ember. He laughed and took some of the odd tension of crying away. "Looks like you're headed out before me… I'll be on your trail soon, though. Heck, I might even become a trainer just to beat you."

Grinning, I said: "Beat me? I'm headed to the League to become the champion as soon as possible, Ember. You won't be able to beat me once I'm there."

"Oh yeah? Is that a challenge, Cynthia Marie?" He asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I think it is." I copied him.

"Then I'll be seeing you at the League." He outstretched his hand. I shook it with a grin.

"It's a deal."

Jamie rolled her eyes. "You two and your challenges. The most competitive people I have ever met." She laughed, and I joined her.

Alas, it was time to go. Sighing, I hugged everyone again. I grabbed my bag and walked out the door without looking at anyone, knowing that as soon as I saw someone crying I would lose it, only taking a glimpse at Ember, knowing it would be safe because he wouldn't cry. He wasn't crying, but his grin was replaced with a frown. Our eyes met for a moment before I was out of the house.

Deciding to quickly look over my shoulder, I realized that was an awful idea. Both Grandmother and Jamie were hugging each other. I ached to turn around and yell _"No, I'm not leaving! See? I'm right here."_ And comfort both of them, like I did a million times in the past. Turning my head forward I bit my lip to resist the strong urge. _Forward. Keep walking forward. Resist the urge._ I told myself this over and over until I was officially out of Celestic and on Route 210.

Without anytime to think about _anything, _I had done it. My worries had me in a tight grasp. I wouldn't be able to do it, and I would die. I would be dead in a week. In my head I envisioned a funeral: Jamie paying Ember ten bucks because I didn't last as long as she had bet. How did ten-year-olds do this?

Breathing in deep I stopped in my tracks. Should I turn back? This was going to be a long and hard journey… No. I wouldn't give up before I started. Grandfather wouldn't even say anything to me if I turned back and went home. I was leaving; I was gone; I was ready. I continued walking.

The path I was on was rough and bumpy; and much like Celestic, it was fog-filled. Gradually walking quicker as I moved, my mind was in such a different place that I didn't notice my step had turned into a light jog. According to my map my first stop would be Solaceon Town, where the bombing had been. I wondered if the culprit was still there, watching the town worry with a smirk on his face. What if it was Lea standing in the forest grinning evilly? A tingle shot through my spine. Something about that visual scared me. Something about the attacks scared me. Well, I'm sure it scared everyone at least to some extent. An anonymous invader who randomly bombed towns, seeming not to have any pattern so there's really no way to know what his next victim is. Yes, that was scary.

Sighing, I listened as it bounced off the rock walls beside me and replayed in the wind. That instance made me think of a cherished memory with my grandfather. We were taking a walk, just him and I, on a nice, fogless day. Grandmother gave me the day off from school and Grandfather took off from work. He picked a beautiful purple flower and put it in my hair, "Cynthia, this flower is almost as pretty as you!" He told me with a chuckle.

"Grandfather! You're teasing." I said through a grin. I missed my grandfather so much… Too much. He would love my aspiration to become the champion. It was so farfetched and big that it seemed like something he would love for me to say. I was glad Ember and Jamie had both been happy with my decision. Worried as I was about Ember, thinking that he wouldn't be too pleased, he seemed genuinely fine with it. Of course Jamie would cry, she cries about _everything._ In fact that's one of the first things she did when we met, or so I'm told. We were both around three, so neither of us remembers, but Jamie's mother teases us about it.

When I first came to Celestic they were new, too. Her mom Bianca and her husband, or boyfriend, I'm not really sure, had just split up and Bianca was so devastated she moved in with her parents. They helped with Clarice, who was only a baby, and with young Jamie. Her mother had never kept a husband or boyfriend, she has had many, from what I understand. I don't even think Clarice and Jamie are full-blooded sisters. Anyway, Bianca had lived there for a few months when I moved in with my grandparents, and at the time there wasn't anyone Jamie's age so she was eager to introduce us. One of my first days there I met Jamie. We were told the first thing we did was grin at each other before running off to the 'fishy pond,' as we called it, in the front of Grandmother's house and splashed around. Apparently, I dipped my hand in the water and splashed Jamie right on the face and she started to bawl. We hated each other for about a day before we were at the fishy pond playing again. Bianca tells us that story all the time and we both laugh just like it was the first time hearing it. Jamie is, and always will be, my best friend. I tell her everything. There are no secrets between us.

The fog lightened. That was a good sign. Looking at the map, that was still clutched in my right hand, I estimated that I still had a few more hours to go before I reached Solaceon. A bit of nervousness crowded around me in-between these mountain walls, mostly because I've never _traveled _on my own before. I've walked this trail time and time again to Solaceon but never _alone, _never having to look and keep up with the map. My ankles ached, and I tried to distract myself.

My thoughts spun me back into non-reality so I was mindlessly walking on this turning road. It wasn't really _memories_ that I was thinking about, just random clips from random times. My mind was going all over the place. This was a good distraction from my feet. Normally, people travel on bikes. It's quicker and easier than walking. But there was no point to have one in Celestic, if you could even afford one, because the town was so small you could walk. Walking was a better choice, however, because it gave you enough thinking time.

It felt like at least three hours went by, so I guessed only a mere hour had passed. I had seated myself on a lush patch of grass and had massaged my ankles. Being back up and walking in five minutes, I wasn't very tired. Knowing I was nearing Solaceon—because of the extra-tall grass that had paths made through them by the Ponyta –there was extra enthusiasm in my steps. Through my trip I hadn't come across any Pokémon. The trails and routes are protected because of Lea's laws. They are all scared off because we are ordered to scare them. And because Pokémon are smart, they stay away. Although, I didn't see _why _this was needed; I had never seen any attack us before. Only a Ponyta run away at the sight of us a few times.

Exiting the grass paths, I smiled; knowing exactly where I was. This is where Route 210 meets Route 215. Surprisingly, there was a large group circled around two people nearby. I recognized the couple immediately, Hilda and Hilbert, Solaceon's town elders and the owners of the day care. When a town doesn't have a gym and gym leader, town elders are chosen to keep peace. Grandmother and I always visit Hilda and Hilbert when we run errands here, they are really nice people who love and care for their town. Approaching the group, I quickly realized what the problem was.

"It's too dangerous living here!" One person yelled.

"Yeah, my kids play around the ruins every day."

"Calm down please! Solaceon is a good family town, we just hit a minor bump." Hilbert yelled.

"A minor bump?!" Someone echoed, "please! I'm considering moving!

"Me too!"

"This… _Issue_ had affected many other towns. We're not the only ones." Hilda said in a soothing voice. One she often used when Grandmother would talk about the worries of Celestic with her. They were great friends.

"I don't care!" With that, the group walked off in separate directions, leaving the day care owners to stare at each other in shock.

"Cynthia dear, what're you doing here alone?" Hilda noticed me and asked. She looked at the black bag slung across my shoulder.

"Well, I've started out to become a trainer." I tried a smile.

"Good for you!" Hilbert boomed happily.

"Thank you, but…What's going on here? I know you had a bombing a few days ago, but that was just madness."

"Yes, it sure was. You walked in on the town meeting, great timing you have, Cynthia." He had so much fake cheeriness, and I assumed it was to make me comfortable…And that made me really uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry that this happened, it's a shame."

Hilda nodded in agreement. "Our town won't be upset for too much longer, though. I can assure you that." She said.

"Really? Why's that?" I asked.

"They'll come around when they realize the attacker scurried off."

"Who do you think the attacker is?" The questions fell out of my mouth before I could really think about them.

"Probably someone with good intentions that aren't bein' distributed well." Hilbert piped in, half joking.

"I'm not sure who'd want to hurt Sinnoh. I think it's a grown man who's mad at the world with nothin' better to do. Some rebel." Hilda said the last sentence with much hatred.

"So, you two don't think it was a Pokémon?" I asked, getting really interested in the whole situation.

"Absolutely not." Hilda said with certainty, and Hilbert nodded.

A few moments passed of silence before Hilbert spoke, "say, Cynthia, you want some Moo Moo Milk? I'm buying, o' course."

Every time Grandmother and I came here we got a bottle of Moo Moo Milk to drink on our walk back to Celestic. It had a sweet and creamy taste, and you could only get it here. Of course I nodded, who wouldn't?

We walked to the building closest to us, and the only building around, to get the drink. It was a small café. It sold pies and pastries along with the Moo Moo Milk. Outside of the building, two men were yelling accusations at one another.

"They're accusing other people for the bombing. That is flat out ridiculous." Hilda said disappointedly and shook her head as we entered the building.

"Why?" I asked mostly to myself. But I knew someone would answer.

"I don't know, honey." Hilda wrapped her arms around my waist. "Let's get some milk and forget about it, okay?" She said in her soothing tone.

Wanting the milk, I nodded; but I was still in thought. Why would a town turn on each other so quickly? And why didn't either Hilda or Hilbert seem surprised? They knew something about this. I would need to ask them later.

We sat at the counter and the nice waitress gave us our bottles of Moo Moo Milk. I licked my lips in preparation for the delicious drink. The scent was absolutely amazing; I kept the bottle at my nose for a moment and took in the smell. I put the glass bottle to my lips and dunked my tongue in the milk, not wanting to wait for it to flow into my mouth. It was so good. The creaminess and the silkiness intertwined into a great drink I could easily live off. The taste was sweet but calming, not something that kept you up all night.

After a while of average chit-chat Hilbert ordered a few bottles to go and we headed for the Day Care Center in Solaceon. There was a little bit of walking to be done to get there, but not much. The sun was setting in the distance. If I was with my grandmother we would have been in the mountains and we would have stopped to watch the sun dip down. We would walk just a little ways in the dark before we made it home.

We reached the day care and they happily invited me to stay the night there. I accepted gratefully. There wasn't really any other place to stay. The Pokémon Center had only three rooms that were very small. I would rather stay with these two, anyways. Everything about Solaceon was small, much like Celestic. The population beat Celestic by about ten, which still wasn't a lot. They had more kids there, that's for sure. And they had more visitors. Celestic _never_ got visitors. It was rare. Solaceon was a walk-through town, you had to pass through or fly over it to get to about anywhere.

Sitting down on the sofa of their little lobby area, which they treated as a living room even though it was officially public, Hilbert had just popped the top off of a Moo Moo Milk bottle and began sipping the drink away. Hilda had sat next to me on the sofa and made an almost mindless comment about how tall I am. I just smiled at her and slightly ignored her.

Debating about how to bring up the attacks again, I finally just went with Plan A, "so what town do you think will be attacked next?" I asked casually, staring at my feet as I tapped them against the hardwood floor, trying to make it seem like an attempt at conversation not my curiosity.

Hilbert raised his eyebrows at me, "curiosity killed the Meowth, don't ya know." Well that worked.

Hilda just ignored him. "Possibly Hearthrome. Since it seems like they're headed that way." She answered nonchalantly.

Nodding at this, I decided to pretend to lose interest by yawning and looking out the window. Then a thought hit me. "Unless it's their plan to get to Cornet." Said I quickly. Great, I just threw the plan of pretending to forget and move on out the window.

Hilda wrapped her arm around me. "Cynthia dear, don't worry so much. Your grandma's _fine_, along with all of Celestic. Why travel that long and hard just to get to Celestic? And then to bomb the mountain? Silly." Nodding, I yawned for real. "You should sleep." Hilda noted my yawn. "Come with me." I followed her through a hallway; she took me to one of the doors and opened it, revealing her guest bedroom. My first thought: Pink. The curtains were pink, bedspread was pink, and the rug that lined a wall of dressers—with pink potted flowers on top—and a mirror was pink; very Hilda. She smiled at me, hugged me then wished me a good night before leaving. I put my bag on the bed and sat next to it and thought. This was my nightly routine; to clear my head by thinking about everything. One second thinking about Pokémon, the next thinking about my garden, the next remembering an odd thing from that day; it was normally something most people wouldn't even remember. Like an odd sound or the way something looked when the wind hit it. I thought a lot.

A squeaking door opening and closing made me snap out of my thinking-state. I assumed it was Hilbert headed to bed. Yawning again, I remembered what a good idea sleep was and kicked off my pants, completely ignoring changing into pajamas. Turning off the lights I climbed into bed. Hating to admit it, the pink covers were pretty comfortable, and I slept like a baby.

* * *

><p>Awaking the next morning confused, I didn't know where I was. In fact, the first thing that occurred in my mind was 'why is everything so <em>pink<em>?' I had moved out of bed slowly and put the pants that were lying on the floor back on. Already wrecking my neat and perfectly organized bag by searching for my hairbrush, I stuffed it back in with the wrinkles of clothes and zipped up the black bag. Slinging it over my shoulder, I left the room; not caring about looking in the mirror.

"Breakfast!" I heard Hilda call, apparently she had heard me wake up. Walking into the large kitchen, I was greeted by four little Pokémon perched up on a counter, munching away at Pokémon food. Recognizing them as a Buneary, Piplup, Luxio and Cherubi, Hilda noticed my staring and said, "they're the only Pokémon we've been watching…The biggest group we've had in I don't even know how long. Can't seem to get them to evolve, and nobody wants to pay people who can't get Pokémon to evolve. I can't afford to buy things to make my home-remedies that I use to help the process along, since business has been so dull and taxes have been so great."

"Now, now, Hilda, don't bother the girl with depressions like that. She just woke up." Hilbert stepped in and nodded a greeting towards me. He stroked the Piplup's head as it ate, "this guy is _so close _to evolving, I know it. I will make sure he does today." Hilda set the table. A basket full of steaming muffins beckoned me over, so I sat. She placed a mug of warm Moo Moo Milk in front of me—not the way I liked my Moo Moo Milk, but it was good nonetheless—and then the old couple sat down.

Grabbing a muffin, I took a large bite. It was so fresh and fluffy, and the berries inside were gooey and sweet. Mago berries, I presumed, common around this part of Sinnoh. "Cynthia," Hilbert chuckled, and I stopped eating to look at him, "I see you're pretty darn hungry, youngin'." I realized my mouth was stuffed with muffin, and how Grandmother would tell me how unladylike that was, I straightened back up and quickly finished my food.

Hilbert laughed again, and I muttered: "It's not that funny," and continued much slower. I silently excused myself from the table and walked back into the lobby. Sitting my bag on the sofa, I pulled out my map and opened it up. _I'll be leaving for Hearthrome today. That's an easy journey, or so I've heard. Clear and Pokémon-free paths that shouldn't take too long on foot. _Thought I.

Hilbert walked into the room. "Headed out today?" He asked.

"Yes. I'm planning on leaving as soon as possible."

He nodded and grabbed the television remote, "probably a good idea I reckon." He clicked on the small television in the corner, and the news was on as usual.

"Yes, that's a good point," The girl said. "But what if the attacker, if there is one, is done? He made his point by bombing that saying?"

The man nodded. "Could be it. But why would the attacker stop there? Why wouldn't the attacker bomb other places as well, make his point clearer?"

"I'm not sure, Steven. I guess we'll just wait and see what Lea says." The girl looked into the camera. "Stay tuned for tonight's interview with Champion Lea to hear what he has to say about the attacks." The news logo appeared.

Opening my mouth to make a sardonic comment towards Lea, I remembered I wasn't at home where negative comments and rants were permitted in moderation. _Brainwashed,_ I thought, _they have to be brainwashed to be this stupid. Why would they egg on an attacker by talking about him twenty-four-seven? Why would they say things like 'bomb other places as well and make his point clearer'? Why would they be so stubborn to think Lea is such a great person? No one would ever consider anything different, because he's _so _great and awesome. _

Hilda interrupted my in-mind ranting with the scent of those muffins again. She had one wrapped up and held it out to me with a gracious smile. A gift of food in Celestic is a very, very thoughtful thing. That normally means you are well liked by whoever gives you the food. And since no one really has extra food to spare, it's a rare gift.

"Oh, I cannot take this." I said, taking a step back.

"It's the last one and I want you to have it, dear." She stepped forward and grinned. I took it and tried to think of the right things to say. I was never one with words, really, my grandfather used to call me "blunt as a butter knife." Knowing that was one of the worst attributes for someone of any superiority, I gulped and tried harder.

"Thank you so much for the food—gift," I quickly corrected myself, "letting me stay here and everything."

"No problem youngin'." Hilbert said.

"We enjoy your company." Hilda added just as I heard the news come back on the television.

"We just got word from Lea that he's going to Sunyshore to inspect the bomb scene. He says he wants to see for himself so he can provide the necessary for everyone during this time."

"I think it's Lea." I blurted, and my mind started to whirl.

"What?" Hilda asked gently, noting how anxious I was becoming. Thinking about my next words, I decided to just tell them how I felt. Knowing Grandmother trusted them greatly, I knew it wouldn't be a mistake.

"I think the attacker is Champion Lea."

The thing that happened next caught me so off-guard I jumped.

Hilbert started laughing so hard, he spit his milk and it ran down into his snowy beard. He threw his head back and stomped his foot, exploding in laughter I didn't understand. After another minute, he finally choked out a sentence before laughing again. "That's just great, Cynthia!" He coughed. "It could be Lea, he's a slimy snake, wouldn't surprise me." He started to calm down, but now I laughed. It was so ridiculously funny for no apparent reason.

Just then someone busted through the door. "Hilbert!" He yelled. The man was short and round with messy red hair and a matching beard. He put his hands on his hips and glared at Hilbert, who calmly sat on the sofa unaffected by the person who almost broke the front door.

"Yes, Red?" Hilbert asked. He had his professional voice on.

"A minor bump, eh? Fool!" He screamed.

"What's wrong?" Hilda had quietly crossed the room.

"Another bombing in the ruins!" Red was still screaming.

"What, where, when and was anybody harmed?" Hilbert's words were running into each other as he flew out of his chair and out the door. Red followed him, yelling something I couldn't understand, and I followed Red. _It's only been two days, I was right, the attacker stayed._ _So it couldn't have been Lea. _

We stopped running shortly after we started, I'm not sure why. We walked across the small town to the ruins entrance, which resembled any regular cave entrance. Stepping inside, Red lit an old torch on the wall and led Hilbert and I down a hallway into a large room. All the torches were already lit and shining brightly, revealed a black, scorched spot on the back wall. Unknowns had gathered around that spot and hummed in perfect harmony. Unknowns were weird little Pokémon, who held the key to deciphering Unknown Writing. They find damp caves, press themselves against the walls, and write out, at times, many sentences of riddles and quotes and amazing things. Every Unknown is a different "letter," and they all worked together to "write" something beautiful.

"Are they okay?" I whispered, not wanting to bother the creatures.

"Yeah, they do this all the time. That means they're peaceful and aren't gonna attack us." Hilbert explained, his loud voice making me jump. Hilbert was one of those people who spoke loudly no matter what; he couldn't help it.

"Peaceful? You never fail to prove to me what a fool you is, Hilbert, these Unknowns are dangerous." Red said quickly, his accent making it hard for me to decipher the words.

"Dangerous? These Unknown had never, ever put us in danger before! They're peaceful creatures." Hilbert replied

"Yeah right, look what they've done!" The two of them aimlessly bickered back and forth for a moment.

"So, what do we do?" I asked once there was a free spot.

"Nothin'. The news will hear from somebody and be here to take pictures and such." Hilbert shook his head. "I can't believe this happened again…"

Not saying anything, I began to walk around the room. The Unknown had disappeared at this time. Only knowing some of the writing on the walls, at one place I could make out "…And was wrong and died." That was a depressing sentence.

"What does some of this say, Hilbert?" Asked I.

"Well, the new place that was bombed said 'liars never prosper'. Or somethin' around there, I believe."

That made sense. "Now it sounds more like some kid than Lea."

Hilbert nodded. "Cynthia, as much as I wish it was, there's no way it's Lea. He's at the League all day long I believe. And right now he's on his way to Sunyshore. We'll just have t' watch the interview t'night."

"I suppose you're right."

"That's what I think. I'd like t' think I'm always right." He grinned and winked at me. I chuckled, and he put his arm around my shoulder. "Don't you let Lea get in your head, Cynthia. Don't you even give him that satisfaction," he winked again, "you just do what you want—become a trainer—and don't be bothered by him or these attacks." I nodded, and he patted my shoulder and we left the ruins.

We exited and walked towards Hil and Hil Day Care. A few people had gathered around, I noticed Hilbert walked hastily towards his home, not wanting to talk with anyone. We got in the house and was greeted by Hilda. She had changed into nice tan pants and a pink shirt and had put her silver hair in a bun.

She looked worried. "What's goin' on?"

"Another bombing, nothing utterly serious, no one harmed or something. Just Red being overdramatic I reckon."

"Good to know about nobody being harmed. But Red's just being Red, don't let him get under your skin." Hilda spoke to her husband with much wisdom in her tone, and Hilbert nodded.

"How do you stand him, then?" I wondered.

"Well, we have to, with him being our other Town Elder." Hilbert said.

"What? That's not fair."

Hilbert chuckled, "it's as fair as it gets, Cynners. His parents were Elders, they passed, he took their place rightfully." He shrugged, "can't control it. Heck, I can't even control my own family, much less his family." The two of them took a seat on the sofa, and the Buneary roaming around hopped up on Hilda's lap. I looked towards the door, knowing I had to get going soon.

"Is it that time?" Hilda asked, and I nodded. Hilbert stood up and opened the door for me, motioning real big and making me smile. I stepped out, and opened my mouth to say my farewell and thanks, but instead a scream rang out.

Hilbert stumbled out of the door, and our eyes met for a split second, and we took off towards the ruins.

As soon as I stepped in through the entryway, a glowing orb slammed into my stomach and I met the hard ground.

* * *

><p><strong>*This chapter has been hardcore editedrewritten**


	3. Fog

_Chapter Two: Fog_

_With Every Legend, There's a Beginning _

Thick, white smoke-like fog filled the world around me. Everything was white. You would think so much whiteness would lead to a bright world, but even with the light color, it was dark. Behind the fog I could see black and greys, like a sky or something. Never questioning where I was or how I got there, I just sat; curled up, knees to my chest and feet digging into the ground that wasn't there. My mouth was clamped shut, and I wasn't breathing; afraid I would breathe in the fog. Tightening my grip around my knees, I gently turned my head side to side. Same: Fog and darkness. Looking straight ahead again, a pair of red eyes appeared in the in the white stuff, and then they started to come at me. Startled, I gasped harshly, sucking in the dangerous fog.

One of the wisps of fog formed into a hand and shot down my throat. I could feel it stinging and burning everything as it traveled farther. The fog wrapped around me like vines, and my skinned burned like the fog was acid. Suddenly I wasn't too worried about the red eyes.

* * *

><p>When I awoke, all was foggy. Beginning to panic and hold my breath—after taking the first gasp of shock—I squirmed in the bed I was in. My vision blotched out, then quickly cleared. The room had cream walls and home-made curtains covering the glowing window. The bed I was in was quite uncomfortable, again with a mismatched home-made quilt. Next to me was an old machine thing, one I recognized to sit in Centers. <em>I'm in a Pokécenter? <em>I thought.

Sure enough, a nurse walked through the opened door. "Good morning." She greeted, with little enthusiasm. I opened my mouth to speak, but she shoved a dropper in and squirted water in my unprepared mouth. "Your throat will thank me." Almost drowning in water, I swallowed hastily and tried to say something. Instead I was thrown into a coughing fit.

"Where are Hilda and Hilbert? Did they tell Grandmother?" I managed to get the words out.

"They're at their house. I'll tell another nurse to notify them. They should be here soon. And I'm not sure."

"Why did you let me stay here? I thought you only accepted Pokémon."

"We have two hospital rooms suitable for humans. We can't do anything huge, but Hearthrome sent us painkillers for you. The only reason we accepted you was Hilbert made us." She said with a hint of irritation. As if saying _you inconvenienced us but I want to make my town elders happy… You're lucky. _

Thinking of the weird dream I had, I said, "how strong is that medication?"

"Not very. Is something wrong?"

"Well I had the strangest dream, and usually I don't have vivid dreams or…Dreams at all, really."

"Don't look into it. You were out for two days, normally people have some wacked-up dreaming going on."

"_Two _days?!"

"Yes ma'am. We were all very surprised, just a hit on the head is all." She said it in a way that made me feel like the wimpiest person I could be. She left the room, thankfully closing the door, and I slapped my forehead. My champion journey wasn't starting out the right way. And it wasn't going to go anywhere if I lay in that bed any longer.

Gathering everything I could inside me, I rolled out of the uncomfortable bed. I sighed, because I felt absolutely fine. There was no logical reason for me to sleep two days. Looking down at myself, I noticed I was wearing a nightgown that wasn't mine. Cringing, I looked around the room to see if my bag was around. Thankfully it was and I quickly showered in the bathroom the Center provided and put on fresh clothes. Then I was out of there.

Trying to forget about this mishap, I made my way to Hil&Hil and walked through the front door. Hilda was planted at the main desk, but as soon as she saw me she jumped out of the chair and practically over the desk. "Thank _everything_!" She squealed, and forced me into a hug. "We were so worried about you, Cynthia." She let me go but then grabbed my face. She flung my head around. "Looks like no scratches or nothing," She stopped and I gave her a weird look, "oh my, I do apologize, I don't know what got into me."

"My, my, look who made it out alive." Hilbert stepped into the room with a Buneary in his arms. "How are you feeling?"

"Perfectly fine." _Until your wife gave me a concussion. _"In fact, I think I'm more than ready to move on to the next town." I tried a smile, and the two of them returned a more genuine one. The Buneary hopped into Hilda's arm, and she stroked its back lovingly. "How are the ruins holding up? Anymore attacks?"

"The ruins' fine, it could hold a lot more then mild bombs. And no more attacks, plus Lea didn't get interviewed." Hilbert answered.

"And why not?"

"The attacks had him rushing back to the League, apparently."

"Sounds like a bad excuse." It _did_ sound like an excuse to blow off an interview or as a cover-up for not even going to Sunyshore. Who knows?

"Well I agree but…Nothing to do about it." Hilbert slightly chuckled, and then motioned to the sofas. "Before you leave, take a seat." I sat, but didn't get comfortable; I was ready to leave. "Hilly, will you grab me a bottle of milk?" Hilda nodded with a smile and scurried out of the room, and Hilbert leaned towards me. "You remember what I said the other day…Don't you be thinking about Lea. 'Member I said that?" I nodded, and leaned in just like him. "Good, don't forget it. Just ignore him and focus on you. Your life will be better that way." He winked and sat back up just as Hilda came in with the milk.

Standing, I shot the couple a slight smile, "I think it's time for me to be on my way."

"Alright, let's get on our way." Hilbert said as he stood. He grinned at me. Now my smile turned into confusion. Not that I didn't respect and love Hilbert, but _traveling _with him sounded pretty awful. Wanting to reject, I searched for the right words. "Only to Hearthrome, of course." He added and snickered.

Relieved, I said, "okay, let's go." I gave Hilda a quick hug, and she grabbed my face again.

"Bye, Cynthia. Don't you worry about Carolina, we'll be keeping a good eye on her." She smiled.

"Thank you." With that, we were off. On the way out of town I tried to get into the state-of-mind that I was _finally _continuing on this long, amazing journey…But that was hard to do with Hilbert whistling by my side. As we exited Solaceon, I realized that I had never gone past here…Ever. The farthest from home I had ever travelled was to Veilstone. Never Route 209.

Nearby I noticed an under-construction grey brick building. It looked out of place somehow. "What's that?" I asked.

"That was what Champion Annie was building as a memorial to lost Pokémon. But then Lea came into the picture…"

"I know." I remembered learning about her in my studies. She was the Champion before Lea, with only Grass and Bug types. Somehow she managed to beat the Elites with them. Apparently she was a force to be reckoned with, even though she was only Champion for a short while. Pegged as earthy and gracious, she was a liked person. "That's so…Nice."

"Yeah, she had a lot of good things planned for Sinnoh. Too bad she was overpowered by Lea before some things could get done." Hilbert sighed and shook his head, "oh well." I agreed with the 'too bad' part, but the 'oh well' part I just couldn't seem to agree with.

Route 209 had perfectly trimmed grass pathways leading to Hearthrome. It was such a comfortable place with little cabins scattered about and the salt-water stream that lined the left side of the paths. Of course, the large electric fence that sat on the edge of the forest keeping any and all Pokémon out sort of ruined it.

"So are you excited about battling?" Hilbert asked me; attempting conversation.

Actually, I hadn't thought much about it. "Yes, I guess." I shrugged, "more excited about Pokémon in general then battling."

He nodded and chuckled. "Ah, Winnie's girl."

Yes, I had gotten my love of Pokémon from my grandfather, that's for sure. Nodding, I asked: "you and he were good friends, weren't you?"

"Oh yes. Hilda and Carolina and me and Winnie. We all got along. It was a shame when—" He cut himself off. But I knew what he was going to say 'when he died.'

"You don't have to be afraid to say it." I muttered. But honestly, I still shuttered at the thought.

"You sure?" He asked as he studied my face. He was a lot like my grandfather in the way that he knew what people were _actually_ saying. I nodded; why not try to get over the thought now? I'm doing everything else now; let's add something else to the list. "Well, it was a shame," he continued, "but I'm glad the attackers aren't going for Celestic, it's just too much for Carolina. Even if there are other elders."

"I agree, and I don't want her harmed."

"Yes, that wouldn't be good. She would put herself right in the way, anything to protect her town…She'd do anything to protect you, too." He looked at me.

Knowing this, I nodded with a smile. "She's already proven it, time and time again." He smiled in response and we both focused on the road ahead.

A while filled with small-talk and simple responses passed and we approached a large, window-less white building. There was no way around it, since the electric fence and a wall met up with it on both sides. "What is this?"

"This is the building separating us from Hearthrome. Don't ask me why, because it's all really a mystery. I don't understand Lea's thinking."

"Well I don't either. Hopefully I'm going to learn to either understand it or…Change it." Determination flared in my tone, and Hilbert gave me a look.

"You're going to let Lea bother you no matter what, aren't you?"

Pausing, I didn't answer. I knew the answer, but I wasn't sure if I was supposed to say it so I shrugged.

"_Really_?" He raised his eyebrows.

Feeling defeated, I said: "Okay yes, Lea bothers me to death and I can't shake it."

He turned towards me and a sense of seriousness came about him. "Listen, Hearthrome's… _Different _then here or Celestic. They normally don't let folk like us in, but tell them you have a doctor's appointment. They'll let ya in then. Okay? And do _whatever_ they tell you to do. Broken laws are punished. Okay? Just get in, get your checkup, and move on to Oreburgh. Try and avoid Jubilife. Do whatever it takes to get to Oreburgh and don't get caught! You understand me girl?" His voice was almost at a yell. I was taken aback by this. What could Hilbert mean? I never thought of him as crazy, but from that point on I always looked at him differently. It's a good thing he has Hilda to keep him inline. I nodded, he cleared his throat and scratched his beard. "I've sent a letter to my friend in Oreburgh. He works in the mines. Go there and find him. He'll help ya get to Sandgem." His voice was less hysterical. "His name is Pete. Find him. Okay?"

"Okay," I said, unsureness clear in my voice. He nodded and gave me a reassuring glance. Faking a smile, I quickly hugged him and we said our goodbyes. He started walking away, and I turned and faced the building. _Now, this is _my _journey. _I walked to the door, but hesitated. What was a Golden City really like?

The Golden Cities were the biggest and richest cities in Sinnoh; Jubilife and Hearthrome. Only the richest and most honored people lived there, apparently. Sunyshore and Veilstone were in the running to being Golden Cities, too. They bothered my immensely, but I sucked it up and entered the building.

The room was nearly empty, only with a desk placed in front of me. The woman behind the desk gave me a shocked look. And I'm sure I was giving her the same look. She was so _odd looking._ She had on a purple dress that hugged her body so tightly I wondered if she could breathe. Her face was so white I thought she was sick, but because the whiteness stopped at her ears it was obvious that it was makeup. Her lips were very purple, it matched her dress. Her eyes were an unnatural shiny-gold color, and her hair was jet-black, braided and twirled right on top of her head.

There was silence for a moment before she cleared her voice and spoke. "And _what _can I do for _you_?" She had a high-pitched voice that sounded like bird chirps with a weird accent added in. The accent I recognized from the people who did the news, they spoke with a little more flare and a little more sing-song like.

"I'm going to Hearthrome," I said it like it was completely obvious…Which it was.

"I'm afraid you'll have to find another way."

"Actually, I have a checkup I need to get to," I started stepping closer to the desk, "Solaceon's Pokécenter sent something—"

She quickly grabbed my wrist and a pen-like thing. Before I could pull away she poked my index finger and dabbed the blood on some sort of document. I shrieked and ripped my hand away; examining my fingertip. "_What _did you do and _why _did you do it?!"

"I used this," she held up the finger poking device, "to get some blood to put on this," she held up the document, "to let you through that door." She pointed behind her to the large door. "It leaves the tiniest mark, so tiny it heals instantly. Amazing, right? Name?"

"What?"

"I need your name." She gave me an annoyed look.

"Cynthia Everheart." I said. She wrote my name at the top of the paper with my blood on it. She then started tapping this weird thing. It was flat and lay on her desk. It had a small fluorescent screen like a television, and on the screen was a series of letter that was in no order. Q, W, E, R, T and so on in a random fashion. She had spelled out _C-Y-N-T-H-I_ when something popped up on the screen. She pressed it with her finger. It was some kind of document. I immediately thought of the folder the nurse had given me. And the paper with my blood on it looked sort of like that. "Why did you need my _blood?_" I asked, ignoring how gross that was.

"If you want to go into the Golden Cities we need some record of you. So we know you're not a trespasser. Move on." The lady spun around in her chair and ignored me. I rolled my eyes and walked to the right where there was an odd looking doorway. A man was standing there. He looked as weird as the other lady, he had on a white uniform, but other than that he had greenish hair and his lips were unnaturally puffy and his face looked like it was redone many-a-time.

"Walk through." He too had the odd accent, except not high-pitched. He motioned for me to walk through the doorway. I did this. It made a soft _beep_ and he nodded. "Good. You can go." He pointed to the door that was all the way at the end of the building. I walked quickly to it, ready to leave this weird building behind, and I exited; finally entering a Golden City.

Buildings were _everywhere. _Tall buildings I had never seen in-person before. The ground was a silvery-gray brick, no grass to be seen. People swarmed all over. They all looked like the average Golden City person. Crazy wigs, rearranged faces, unnatural makeup and clothes that I would never be caught dead in. They were normally puffy dresses that the color matched their hair. Pink dress, pink hair. Green dress, green hair. It didn't make sense.

This wasn't Celestic. How could someplace so close to home be so different?

Joining the large crowd of people headed towards what I assumed was the middle of town, I instantly felt swallowed. I kept stepping on the bottoms of contest dresses and muttering apologies as they frowned at me and gave me unpleasant, unwelcoming looks. It was hard to try and get an idea of where I was in this huge city. The crowd made it to another street and went in multiple directions, leaving me stranded on the main road.

The main road was crowded with shops and multi-story buildings. While looking around, my eyes met a crazy-looking lady who stood in-front of a quaint-looking shop. She waved and smiled big, so I approached her. "Hello, hello!" She greeted; her voice high-pitched and seemingly friendly. "What can I interest you in today?"

"Nothing, actually. I want to find the Pokémon Center. Can you give me directions?" I asked.

"Oh." She suddenly lost her peppy and high-pitched voice. "Of course. It's that way." She pointed toward her right. "Thanks for wasting my time." She walked off, and I frowned in her direction.

"_Rude,_" I murmured, and started in the right direction. My first impression of Golden City natives wasn't a good one. They were obviously rude and self-centered. No one from Celestic, Solaceon, or Veilstone liked them. Mostly because they were the rich and famous of Sinnoh, and they essentially took away from us. They're portrayed as perfection on television, and anyone who is different isn't worth your time. But they're not perfection; they're not even close.

Turning onto another street, I saw the Center. It was absolutely huge. I would have never been able to miss it. I stepped in, and the clean smell of all Centers hit my nose and slightly comforted me. While waiting on my Pokémon, I listened as two ladies in the lobby spoke about Veilstone's 'grand mall' that'll be built where the fire had happened and burnt the long row of shops. Those shops were one of the attractions of Veilstone, so it made sense that something even better would take its place, but I didn't like the fact that the ladies said: "If Veilstone wasn't so trashy, it could easily be a Golden City. Maybe this mall will clean it up, so we can actually go to it…Wouldn't that be great?!" I rolled my eyes.

After my Pokémon were done, I was called to the second floor for my checkup. The doctor, who had silver hair and glasses that didn't have any glass in them, didn't say much to me. He didn't do much, either, just put something cold over my heart and shined lights into my eyes and ears. He questioned me on medicine, asked if I wanted anymore, and when I said no, he smiled and said that we were finished.

Next, I walked down the street in search for the post office. Eventually I found it, nestled out of the way of everything else, and I walked in. It was to my amazement that the man standing there looked completely normal; Wearing khaki pants and a dark brown sweater, and no makeup whatsoever.

"Hello." Oh, he spoke normal too. I smiled at him.

"Hello." I replied. "I need some paper and a pen."

"Of course." He walked to a shelf and handed me an official piece of paper and an envelope. I thanked him and sat at one of the many desks in the room and began writing. I wrote to Grandmother telling her I was safe and had spent a few extra days with Hilda and Hilbert. And I had written to Jamie telling her to care for my garden and give the greens to Grandmother and make sure she's eating. And as a thank you to keep some greens for herself.

Then we got all the official stuff taken care of; filling out the envelope.

"Celestic Town, huh? Quite a ways away." He commented as he wrote.

"Yes it is. It took a few days to get here." I said.

He nodded. "Where are you headed?" He sealed the envelope and stuck it through a slot in the wall.

"To Sandgem to meet with Professor Rowan. I want to become a trainer."

"Oh, then you'll be going straight to Jubilife?" I didn't answer right away, trying to figure out if I should say I wasn't or not.

"Actually I'm going to Oreburgh. I want the whole traveling experience." It made sense to me, but he gave me an odd look.

"Really? Hmm." He was still looking at me weird.

"What?" I finally asked, worried I said the wrong thing.

"You do know you can't get to Oreburgh from here, right?" He said.

"What do you mean? It's the next town."

"It's blocked by the wall. Since it's illegal to go into the woods, they made the tunnel to get to Jubilife, but if you want to get to Oreburgh you have to either go through Mt. Cornet from Celestic, or go into the woods illegally." He explained. I remembered seeing a huge wall as I came into the city, but I didn't think a thing about it. I guess it did blend in better than the electric fence on Route 209.

"Is there a way to get into the woods?" I hesitantly asked.

"I know a break in the wall, near the Contest Hall. But you can't breathe a word to anyone." He was whispering now.

"I won't, I swear." I was whispering too. This was odd. Why was he helping me? Why did I trust him? _I shouldn't trust him. I'll ditch him as soon as we get outside._ I thought. _But, wouldn't that be worse? I'll take my chances. _

He started walking toward the door, I followed him out. Then, I made a run for it. I looked over my shoulder as I ran; he was just standing there yelling something. But I couldn't hear him over the crowd.

Looking forward, I stopped quickly. A huge man in a white uniform was standing there blocking my way. The man grabbed my shoulders. I quickly jerked away and darted towards the left. I instinctively headed for an alleyway. Down the alley was another row of shops. They seemed dingier than the others, but that was the least of my worries. I flew into the first shop, which was a clothing store, and ran to the corner concealed by clothing racks. I stood against the wall and slid to a sitting position as I caught my breath. One of the workers came over to me. He was a very tall man with glitter covering his body, probably in his twenties. He had gold tattoos covering his face and arms.

"I'm just…I…" I muttered. Honestly, I was intimidated by this man.

"And?" He hissed. His voice was very quiet and high-pitched.

"Can I just stay here for a moment? Please?" I begged.

He looked me up and down. "I guess. But may I ask why you are hiding?"

"I think I'm in trouble. But I'll be out of here soon, I promise."

"And why are you in trouble?" He sat next to me.

"I'm not so sure." I quickly told him what had happened at the post office, but turned the story so it sounded like the man at the post office wanted me to do this illegal thing and I ran off because I wouldn't do it.

"Ah. You're in more trouble now that you've ran, you know. But hopefully the guards don't feel you're some threat. I wouldn't." He shrugged, "nothing to worry about."

"Really?" I sighed with relief. "I need to get out of here. I don't like Hearthrome."

"Why? I think Hearthrome in quite astounding. Lea has been so great to us, giving us gifts, giving us money and food, why not like the Golden Cities?" That sounds like something someone from the Golden Cities would say. How 'astounding it is'. But the Lea thing was odd.

"What do you mean Lea is so great and gives you gifts?"

"He sends stuff every month to the Golden Cities. Money mostly."

This infuriated me. He was sending _Hearthrome _money when Celestic was going into starvation?! He was sending _Hearthrome _food when we have none due to bad soil?! He was sending _Hearthrome _gifts when we have _nothing_?! How insane! My hands were pressing so hard against my legs I was sure they had bruised. My jaws were crushed against each other that when I opened my mouth they felt sore. I was mad. I stood up and walked to the glass door and looked out, the shop was facing the tall brick wall separating Hearthrome from, well, reality. "Well I'm getting out of this place." I left the shop, which smelled like an overdose of cologne and it had given me a headache, and followed the wall. Eventually it would lead to the break, it had to.

There it was. When one wall looked like it overlapped another there was a space between them. That was my key out. I slid between the two walls and saw the dark forest. I stepped into the safety of the trees and felt myself relaxing. I walked farther into the forest, until I thought I was a good distance from Hearthrome. Climbing up a tree, I made myself a bed on one of the thick branches of a katta tree; a shorter tree with flat branches that were a foot or two long. They were one of the trees that were around Celestic, and only in Sinnoh. I knew about these trees because of the book my mother left me. It had records of all kinds of trees and plants my mother studied, since she studied foliage and plant-life. I always cared for that book well, because it was from her.

Luckily this was an excellent sleeping spot. The forests natural smells and sounds was the most comforting thing I could have asked for. Blindly I dug through my bag and found a sweater and sleep pants. I slipped them on over my current clothes for more warmth and used my bag as a pillow. That day felt so long. How long had I been away from home? It felt like weeks since I had lain in my bed, sat on the couch with Grandmother, walked the paths of Celestic with Jamie or Ember. At first I felt some homesickness, but I pushed all that away and replaced it with anger. I was angry that the Golden Cities even existed. They really were taking away from Celestic, and it was horrible. Do the Golden's know how they're effected other places? If they knew, would they change it? If they didn't know, was Lea shielding them from that? Shaking my head, I didn't want to think about this anymore. My "journey" hadn't started out the way I had hoped, and the idea of continuing was idiotic.

_But Lea can't stay where he is, _I reminded myself, _he's doing a lot wrong and his reign needs to end. Somehow, it _will _come to an end._

* * *

><p>Dreamless I slept. When I awoke I couldn't fall back asleep due to the bitter morning cold; I put on another sweater and multiple pairs of socks. After a few hours of walking, it warmed up and I removed all my extra clothing. Studying my map, I knew (or hoped) I was headed towards Oreburgh. It was rather odd going through a forest and not a Route, but I could handle it.<p>

To my surprise, I only saw Starly and Staravia in trees. I guess these Pokémon were afraid of hunters? But I shrugged this off. In the middle of nowhere, there were no hunters. It was nesting season—being early springtime—so they were all off building homes and being happy. It was sad that only where it's illegal to be, the Pokémon could be happy.

Later, I saw a Stantler once I walked into a small clearing. I knew it was a Stantler because I have heard things about how delicious their meat was on the news. Stantler was a rare treat, shot for special occasions in the Golden Cities since you can only get them around that area. But after looking at it so long, who would want to shoot it? Or battle it and then once it fainted kill it. It was a tall, graceful-looking Pokémon. It stood on four legs and had two antlers just poking up on its head; must be a baby, newly born into the springtime air. It had tan spots covering its brown back. It stood stunned, staring at me, licking its lips. "I won't—" Then it was gone. "…Hurt you." I finished. It ran away so fast it was amazing. That was, really, my first encounter with a Pokémon. That was probably the Stanter's first time with a human, and we were both stunned. I'll never forget that time.

Walking through the clearing, I approached a large pond. I crouched next to it, cupped my hands, and brought water to my mouth to drink. I dunked my arms into the murky water, washing off all the dirt I had acquired from sleeping in a tree. Then I put my whole head in and ran my fingers through my hair. It had turned into a dark brown color instead of its light blonde because of the wetness. When I brought my head up, I twisted my thick—even thicker when wet—hair on top of my head.

Then I heard something. I stopped breathing, trying to listen. It was completely silent, until I heard the snapping of a twig and the crunch of dead leaves. Quickly I stood up; a sensation coursed through me. I felt like prey, and I was about to be attacked. _I'm just paranoid. _I thought, but quickly decided that wasn't the truth. _Should I say something? Let my hunter know I'm not prey? No one would want to hurt me out here, right? Cannibals aren't in Sinnoh. _

"I…" Leaves rustled, I swallowed my fear and the lump in my throat, "I know you're there!" I said, no traces of fear in my tone. At first I thought I didn't say it loud enough, but I must have.

Because my attacker stepped out of the woods.

* * *

><p><strong>*This chapter has been hardcore editedrewritten.**

_Any current readers out there? It's been a while since I've gotten a review on this Fanfiction, it would be cool to get someone's thoughts on this currently. Plus, you would be the 190th review! That's an achievement if you ask me. _

_Have a great day everybody._


	4. Silence

_Chapter Three: Silence_

_With Every Legend, There's a Beginning _

Silence surrounded me. No gunshots, screams; we just stared at each other, both unsure of what was going on. Just like the Stantler and me, examining each other quietly while unmoving. My attacker wasn't who I thought it would be. In my head, I pictured an angered middle-aged man who didn't have anything left to live for, but I was taken aback by this sight. Was I seeing this correctly? Was I dreaming?

No, I wasn't; this was real. My attacker was skinny, dangerously so. Weaponless, for what I could see, and she was the same height as me; the average teenage girl height, I assumed. She was no threat. But what did she want?

She turned her head and eyed the pond; her brown curls cradling her dark skin. "You bathed in my drinking water," she said, sarcasm hinting in her tone. I breathed out, the tightness in my chest and throat releasing.

"I'm…Sorry, I didn't realize."

"Right. Anyways, are you hungry?" She approached me with her hand extended, "I'm Ellena."

"Cynthia," I wanted to say I wasn't hungry, and that I would be continuing alone—I needed no help; but my stomach growled, "and I'm starving." I shook her hand. My stomach always wins.

"Grab your stuff and come back to my camp." She said. She was completely calm, which comforted me. Obeying her, I grabbed my bag and followed a short distance to another small clearing. There was a tent and the remains of a campfire, along with big back pack. Ellena got a few things out of her bag and handed them to me. I looked at them. They were dried berries. She plopped a few in her mouth a sat across from me. I stuffed a few in my mouth and melted at the savory sweet taste. Dried mago berries; they were delicious.

"So how long have you been out here?" I asked after I had finished my handful.

"I don't know. A week, I guess, but most of it was spent traveling from Oreburgh." She answered.

"Oreburgh? So there is a way to get there from here."

She nodded. "It doesn't take long to get there, either. You're almost to the mountain."

If I was almost to the mountain, how come she was gone a week? "Then how come it took you so long to get here from Oreburgh?"

"Who said I came straight from Oreburgh? I did some sightseeing, don't you know." She laughed. "I'm actually on my way back. That's where you're going, I'm guessing?"

"Yeah, I'm headed there."

"Then I'll take you myself." She looked up at the sky. "…In the morning." She continued. "I want to at least spend one night here before going back."

Not questioning her, I nodded. I sat back on my elbows. Ellena seemed not talkative. Just like me. I had no interest in talking really. I asked my questions. Ellena laid back and looked at the sky, something I had always loved doing.

The question that seemed to pop up in my mind the most recently came again: why do I trust this girl? I shouldn't trust her or anybody, except Pete, he's my exception—only exception. So why am I trusting Ellena? _Well, she did try and help me, she fed me, she's helping me get to Oreburgh, and she just seems to be trustworthy. Like Jamie. You can just tell she's trustworthy. _I convinced myself.

"So where are you from?" Ellena asked, bringing me back to reality.

"Celestic," I answered simply.

"Do you have any Pokémon?"

"Yes." I quickly bit my lip. Was that a safe thing to say? Well, I mean, if she suddenly tried to attack me maybe she would think about me having defense… Even though I hadn't even _looked_ at Gible since the day I got her. Now my urge for just looking at my Pokémon was strong. But I couldn't just whip her out, right? "Can I let her out?" I asked, feeling like a little kid asking her parents for permission.

"No one's stopping you." She shrugged.

A smile tugged at my lips. I reached into the handy pocket of my bag and let her out. She came out and made some kind of happy coo. Her eyes were huge, like she had never seen the world before. But…She was kept in her Pokéball for a long time…Now I felt horrible; what I horrible Pokémon owner I am.

Gible stared at me for a moment with her mouth agape. She looked like she had the first time I saw her: Blue and short; sort of menacing. Then she turned away from me and started running for the woods. "No, Gible!" I yelled, and she turned around and cocked her head at me the best she could manage. "No." I calmly repeated.

"Is she hungry?" Ellena asked.

The feeling of being a horrible owner came back to me and I bit my lip. "Probably… She's been in her Pokéball for days…" _Years. _

Ellena wasn't appalled or anything. She just nodded and pulled something out of her bag. It was in a wrapper. She unwrapped it and threw the thing toward my Pokémon. Gible looked at it wide-eyed before opening her mouth and scooping up the bar, and a mouthful of dirt, and chewed quickly before swallowing.

"What was that thing?" I asked.

"A nutrition bar. That'll fill her up for another day or so." She lay back down again.

Focusing on Gible, I realized this was the first time I had been around a Pokémon. Except for Stantler. But, this was _my_ Pokémon; the Pokémon that was going to get me to the League.

This was the first time I thought about battling. Really, really thought about it. I'm not even sure how much time went by, because I was engrossed in thinking about winning. Battling, winning; everything that had to do with it. Now I realized what I was out here to do. It wasn't to have aching ankles, be hungry and thirsty, or to meet these people, it was to be a trainer; a real trainer. And I was looking at the Pokémon who I would train. I probably needed to start training, considering in a matter of days I would be battling gyms. I looked over at Ellena, who was so quiet I wondered what was on her mind.

"Ellena?"

"Yeah?" She sat up.

"Have you ever trained a Pokémon before?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yes. I have one in Oreburgh. Why?"

"Then would you help me train Gible?"

She thought for a moment. "Sure." She shrugged. We stood up at the same time and walked over to Gible. She looked up at us and backed away…Then darted for the woods again.

* * *

><p>"What? Why can't you do it!" I said, and Ellena crossed her arms over her chest and gave me a look.<p>

"Because it's _your Pokémon, _Cynthia." Her tone was firm and instructor-like; I didn't realize I was signing up for a legitimate trainer lesson when I asked for her help, but that's what I got.

After an hour or so of Ellena telling me about commands, and trying to get Gible to stop wanting to run way, she suggested we use a boulder nearby as a target. She told me to give Gible a command, and I objected.

"I don't know what to say!"

"You're overthinking it. _Your _Pokémon need to know _you _and listen to _you._" I started to object some more, but she cupped her hand over my mouth. "Just do it!" She took her hand away and I fought the temptation to roll my eyes.

"Gible," I said, trying to make my voice sound strong and commanding, "Tackle, now." I pointed to the boulder. Gible just stared at me. "See? I did it wrong!" I looked at Ellena.

"No, you're a born natural. It's her." She nodded towards my Pokémon. _Great. _

After a long line of failed attempts, Gible took a nap. No matter how loud I screamed at her, it didn't affect her sleeping—or snoring—and that just made Ellena and I very frustrated. "She's not a Gible, she's a _Snorlax_!" I yelled, and Flying Types flew from the nearby trees.

Once she woke up, Ellena had another idea: We coax her with food. If she truly was part Snorlax, this could be extremely successful.

"Gible, Tackle that boulder, then you get this." I held up another nutrition bar, a smirk planted on my face. She ran for the boulder and jumped on top of it—Ellena and I both gasped with excitement—then snatched the bar from my hand with her little claw; another failed attempt.

We failed for another few hours. By the time we stopped Gible was halfway tackling the boulder, which Ellena said was better than nothing; I agreed, mostly because I was tired of training. The sun had already set and we were around the campfire. I put Gible in her Pokéball out of frustration. _She must hate me…I'm not too happy with her either. _I thought as I put her in my bag. Shaking my head, I curled up with Ellena's extra blanket and looked up at the cloudless sky; the dark blanket dotted with shimmering stars. As much as I tried to focus on that, and _not _on my day of training, it was to no avail.

"Today was just a bunch of failed attempts." I muttered through my teeth and shook my head again. How was this trainer thing going to work when your Pokémon doesn't want to train?

Ellena must have heard me, "don't worry about it, Gible will come around. This was your first time, it'll be easy from now on. We can train before we leave in the morning."

We did end up training the next morning. We had awoken as early as I had the first morning in my katta tree, which was dreadfully early, but I didn't mind. Personally, waking up wasn't that hard for me. My grandparents were always early risers, and so I learned from them.

After more failed training attempts with Snorlax-Gible, we started to make progress. "Gible, use Tackle!" I commanded in my most serious voice. Gible actually ran and tackled the boulder. Then she pounced backward off of the boulder and back into the attack position. I smiled. "Again." Gible did it again perfectly, making my smile widen, but then she hopped up on the boulder to look at me eye-to-eye. She didn't look at me the way she did when I let her out of her Pokéball yesterday—a look filled with gleam and wonder—now it was more of a hatful glare.

Ellena praised the two of us, and patted my shoulder and Gible's head. Smirking, I turned and walked over to my bag. Gible was in my peripherals, and I noted that she was watching me carefully. Looking at her, I unzipped my bag. An alarmed expression crossed her face, and I paused. I pulled out her Pokéball, and a growl rumbled through her. The sound was deep and threatening, and it reminded me that she was a tough Pokémon—who could hurt me if she pleased. "Gible, come here." I said gently, yet with superiority. She hissed, something that Dragons often did, and jumped off the boulder. Her gaze left me and went to the trees, and just as her body started to move I whipped the Pokéball at her, and she was covered in light beams before she could make a getaway. "Nice try," I said to the Pokéball, and I could almost swear I heard a hissy growl.

We gathered everything up; I helped Ellena put away her tent as she covered up the campfire. I asked her why she was doing it, and she shrugged and answered: "Safety reasons." I didn't question her, since technically we were on illegal ground, but I couldn't help but be wary of the fact she was knowingly breaking the law, too. I knew I wasn't some large threat, but she could be, right? Not to me, but to Sinnoh. Or maybe I'm just crazy.

"How do you know where to go?" We were walking down a slim path, leading to a mountain I could see in the close distance. On both sides of the pathway there was heavy brush, probably nearly impossible to push through, and the dirt path in-between was seemingly manmade; even though this was illegal ground.

"Because Oreburgh made the way. Our Gym Leader Byron secretly had this path constructed, right under Lea's nose, so those of us brave enough to venture out could. Only a group of us knows about it, so get that information on the down-low if you don't mind." She said as we approached the mountain. There was a large hole at the base, and we entered with no hesitation.

It reminded me of the ruins back home. Dark, damp and had an unexplainable smell. Ahead of us was a tight path; Ellena took the lead.

"Oh, so Byron promotes illegality?" The words tumbled out, and my tone was more sarcastic than I wanted.

Ellena stopped and turned; giving me an annoyed look. "Excuse you. No, he's not like _that. _You don't live there, you have _no right _to judge. Byron only did that for the group of us begging him to." She continued walking, and I chomped down on my lip; regretting what I had said.

"You're right. I'm not judging. I had no place to say that. In fact, forget I did." She nodded, and I went back to following her. Thinking back to what she said, the way she kept saying 'group of us' stuck out, and had me wondering what she meant exactly. _Group of us? Group of what? _I thought, and then she stopped abruptly.

"What?" I whispered, hearing the sound of flapping wings followed by weird noises.

"Zubat. Come on, let's not disturb them, the last thing we want is a battle with your Gible who doesn't listen."

"But she would attack them." I defended my Pokémon. I wanted to battle these Zubat.

"No, Cynthia, she's a beginner, these guys would KO her." I frowned when she said KO. Gible wouldn't be knocked out. The urge to yell out "Come and get me Zubats!" grew strong. But, Ellena and I sneaked through the rest of the short cave.

Once we exited the fresh smell took over me. We were back in the forest. There was a lot of tall grass around the area. The trees and grass were deep-green and very pretty. Some flowers were patched around the area, too. "Are there Pokémon around?"

"Yes, lots. But none we'll be battling." Ellena said and rolled her eyes; I returned a glare.

We kept on walking through the forest. One thing I noticed was the rocks. Boulders and rocks covered the area and the ground was dirty and gravely; cliché Oreburgh traits. Soon, we came to an electric fence. It towered over us and it seemed like the barbwire that looped around its top glared at us.

"How do we get in?" I asked, feeling brainless for not knowing anything.

"Like this." Before I could stop Ellena, her hand reached out and grabbed the fence. My body shuttered, expecting her to be shocked to death, but nothing happened. "No electricity," she explained as she lifted the wire. She motioned with her hand for me to go in, so I did, and then held it for her as she ducked in. On the other side of the fence, there were a few feet of practically empty forest and then the large dirt streets of Oreburgh started. Right on the edge of where the streets meet the forest—the end of the forest that was obviously there to try and hide the fence—there was a large, berryless bush that we squatted behind.

Ellena started whispering: "You must know that most of the time, Oreburgh is crawling with guards. It's vitally important that we're not seen. Okay?"

Nodding, I said, "okay, but why?"

"Leaving is _very _bad. It's punishable. Do you want to be punished?" I shook my head, feeling like a child, and she continued, "exactly. Follow my lead." She poked her head around the bush, and so did I. The streets were lined with tiny houses; all squished next to each other. Over the roofs I could see the orange obnoxiousness of the Center, and next to it the gym that stood a story over all the small shack-like houses right in the middle of the town. Off to the right, at the edge of town, I saw a large group of people seemingly walking up from underground. "The mine workers are getting off on lunch break, which means the guards are on alert. We'll have to wait until they go back." She moved back behind the bush and sat, getting comfortable.

Staying where I was, I took in the town. This was the first time I had ever been there, and even though it was small, something about it was captivating; maybe the fact that it was all so new to me. "I didn't realize how small this place is." I muttered, my eyes gliding over the homes and everything again.

Ellena nodded. "Yeah well, being the poor town of Sinnoh, we do what we can. That means having ugly houses."

The houses were dark wood, almost black, and had gray shingles covering the roofs. "They look fine." Said I, trying my best cheery voice.

She scoffed. "Yeah, right. We're probably the laughing stock of Sinnoh. Our ugly shed homes and dirt roads. Look at our gym! Even _that _is unappealing."

The gym was black and orange. She was right about that; it wasn't very appealing, but I didn't dare say anything. I could tell she was about to shoot into rant mode.

"We can't afford anything any better. The Center has the most outdated stuff the Golden Cities could find. We had a Mart, but it closed a few years back because no one could afford their insane prices. Now the building isn't there because _they_ tore it down to expand the mines." Her rant went on. At this time she reminded me of Jamie; someone who could speak her mind so quickly and fluently and wouldn't stop until she was done. She talked about the towns unappealing appearance, and then moved on to the mines. She said something along the lines of: "Our mineworkers are forced to work."

"What do you mean?" I cut in. She blinked as she came back to reality.

"Our miners are forced to work, and we don't even get at least some of the jewels or gold or coal or anything. All our findings are shipped to the Golden Cities." She explained.

"But the mineworkers get paid well, right?"

She shook her head then laughed. "Like Lea would give us his precious money! Our mineworkers get paid so little they can really only feed themselves… And they wouldn't be full at the end of the day! But mostly everyone has a family, so people starve. A lot of people die here because of that. It's kind of a normal thing, a person dying of starvation, unfortunately. We can't grow crops or anything here, no good soil."

"Then how do you eat?!" I asked quickly. Then it hit me: Pokémon meat. At first I didn't say anything, the thoughts turning my stomach, and when I was ready to yell she answered me.

"There are a few berry plants out here and a group of us goes out and collects more berries from back there." She pointed behind us. "And the guards are allowed to sell certain things to us in the Center, so if we can afford grains and herbs and sometimes special things we can buy from them."

"So you don't eat Pokémon?"

She looked wide-eyed at me. "What?! No! Of course not! Besides, there are no meaty Pokémon around here. Only Geodude and Wurmple. Have you ever had Wurmple? I haven't. I heard they have to be prepared a certain way to be eatable because of the poison in their systems. I don't eat Pokémon meat, anyways."

Proudly, I said: "Good, because neither do I. I'm a vegetarian." She nodded, and looked back at the town.

"Looks good to me, we should go." We stood, and she lead me to a nearby house. She knocked gently on the door, and I heard footsteps cross over to the door. It creaked open, only enough for half of the ladies face to be exposed.

"Ellena?" Her voice was quiet, and her eyes widened. She opened the door for us and we entered. Honestly, I was a bit hesitant at this whole situation. All I was waiting for was my opportunity to find out who Pete was. "Ellena!" The lady yelled, and Ellena clamped her hand over the woman's mouth.

"Shhh! The guards can't know I left." She whispered, and the lady nodded.

"I know," she said once Ellena moved her hand, "I just missed you. I'm so glad you're back." She pulled her into an embrace, and I saw Ellena relax as she did so. The woman looked nothing like Ellena. She had jet black hair, olive toned skin and light eyes. She looked a little too young to be her mother—which she obviously wasn't her mother—but I couldn't quite pinpoint an age for her. "Oh!" The lady broke the hug and put her hands on Ellena's shoulders, "your parents! They'll be so happy to see you. And Essie—oh the poor thing—she's been so sick. I've been taking care of her when your mom leaves to find some work, we've been worried about her."

A grim look crossed Ellena's face, and she was silent as she slumped over to the bed in the corner and sat down. Many thoughts swarmed in her mind; I could tell.

The woman looked over at me, "hello there. I'm Sake, Ellena's mom's friend." She slightly laughed.

"I'm Cynthia," I returned a smile and looked at Ellena. "Are you okay? Why don't we go see Essie?" I suggested.

It took her a moment to answer, "I'm fine. It's just…Sort of _hard _to go see her."

"What do you mean?"

"Well…I left in an odd moment…I was living here with Sake, and when I left it was right after a huge fight—_disagreement, _I guess I should say—with my family. It feels odd going back." She looked at me gloomily. Her eyes were teary.

"Ellena," Sake sat next to her and wrapper her arms around her. "It's okay. They've missed you. Me and your mom have talked about it over and over, she understands now. You just needed to give her time to process…" She looked over at me as if she was remembering I was there. "It's just fine, Elle, Essie wants her big sister." She hugged her and patted her arms soothingly.

"Okay. Let's go." Ellena rose up and walked out of the house. I followed her. We walked a few houses down and up to the front door. Every house looked like a replica of the other; I don't know how Ellena knows which house is which.

We walked through the wooden door and saw a lady sitting on a bed. A little girl, skinny as a bone, sat up quickly in the bed. She had the same spring-like brown curls as Ellena and the same flawless dark skin.

"Ellie?!" The girl asked wide-eyed.

"Yes, Essie." Ellena whispered. Her eyes filled and almost spilled over with tears as she ran to her sister and hugged her tightly. "I'm here, I'm home, and I'm not leaving like that ever, I promise!"

The lady threw her arms around the two of them. She was sobbing. "Ellena, sweetheart, you're…" She couldn't continue due to her hysterical sobs. I felt awkward standing there. I stepped back a few paces. _Something big obviously happened. It would be best to keep my distance. _

"I love you, Mom." Ellena said as she got out of their embrace. "And…I'm sorry."

"_I'm_ sorry. I didn't understand before now but now I do. Sake told me all about the rebels and I completely get it." She wiped her eyes with her orange apron.

Ellena nodded as she fought back tears. "Essie," she said turning to her sister, "How are you feeling?"

"Better, Ellie, much better." She grinned at Ellena and revealed a missing tooth. She giggled.

"Essie _has_ been feeling better today, but she hasn't been well." The mom said. She sighed and walked over to the huge pot hanging over a fire pit. She glanced in it. "I hope you guys will be hungry. This will be done in three hours or so. Hopefully your dad will home by then."

"Why shouldn't he? Isn't he normally home by now?" Ellena asked.

"No, not recently. He's had longer hours. Apparently they haven't been mining enough coal. Last week he didn't get home until after we were in bed! It's a shame."

"And Byron isn't doing anything about it?!"

"Ellena, if the Golden Cities or Lea says so, Byron can't do anything. You know this." Ellena shook her head then scoffed. A few minutes went by before she spoke again.

"Is he in the mines now?" She asked.

"Yes, he is. He didn't even get to come home for lunch…" She bit her lip and gave Ellena an odd look.

Ellena became wide-eyed; reading her mom's expression perfectly. "Alright." She struggled to keep calm. She looked at me and motioned for me to follow her. We walked out of the house.

Being thoroughly confused as to well, _everything, _I asked: "What was all _that_ about?"

"Well, Cynthia, my dad didn't come home for lunch and I'm worried about him. I need to check on him!" Her strides became quicker and longer.

"Wait, I need to talk to you." I said, thinking of Pete. But then I didn't even want to ask about Pete, suddenly I was more interested in Ellena. Questions among questions flew through my mind.

"Later, okay?" She started sprinting. I followed on her heels, not saying a word, and adrenaline started coursing through me. Getting the strong feeling that something extremely serious, and dangerous, was about to happen; my mind set on the situation at-hand and nothing else.

The mine opening was large and it dipped down. It was pretty steep, so we skidded down it. The mine wasn't like the ruins or a cave, it was musty and everything was painted with coal dust. The miners were all looking at us strangely as they dug into the walls. All you could hear was the clinging and clanging of the workers.

But I didn't have much time to get a good look around, because then the bomb went off, and everything was silenced.

* * *

><p><strong>*This chapter has been hardcore editedrewritten**


	5. Questions

_Chapter Four: Questions_

_With Every Legend, There's a Beginning _

It all happened in one instant. Fire lit up around me. Alarmingly, I couldn't feel the heat. Why, of all things, was I worrying about _that, _at this particular moment? And the thought of death never crept into my mind? It didn't matter, I suppose.

My eyes were pried open, even though debris was flying everywhere and there was _fire _around. My hair was blown away from my neck, and I started falling backwards. Mineworkers around me dove to the ground, I saw some of them opening their mouths wide; screaming, I assumed, but I heard nothing. Forcing my eyes to quickly scan around—it wasn't an easy task, even though that seems like it should be—I didn't see Ellena anywhere. She had shot off.

Next thing I knew I was on the ground, my back and head ached for only a second, and then I started slipping into a sleep I didn't want to be in.

* * *

><p>Hearing something, I woke up. My eyelids were too heavy for me to open them, so I started to try and get comfortable in the bed to go back to sleep. When I started to stir, aches and pain shot through me so I winced. <em>Why do I…Right, the mines. <em>The memories flooded back, and I quickly opened my eyes to figure out where I was. I was in a small bed, wrapped in soft sheets and quilts, and I quickly realized I was in Sake's house. The dull-colored walls, empty except for one window covered by a colorful quilt—with light seeping in wherever it could—and the two old, matching tan sofas in the far corner, and countertops with an old stove in the top right corner. My bed being in the top left, closer to the stove for warmth, and the remaining corner had a small closet, a hutch, and a large trunk. I examined everything, making sure this wasn't a dream. It _felt _like a dream.

Sake sat on her sofa, and when she looked over at me she hastily was on her feet and next to me. She reached for my elbow and simply wrapped her hand around it, and pain wrenched through it and I made a face.

"I think it's broken." She said. "Could just be a bad sprain, though. Take it easy for a while."

There was a pillow under it, and leaves—_leaves, _of all things—expertly wrapped around it, with string tying everything together and cotton poking out of the sides; a genius makeshift bandage.

The feeling I got when I was laying in the Center bed, just a few days ago, came back. I _did not _want to feel helpless again, so I summoned all my energy and sat up. "How's everyone? What's going on?"

"Ellena is at her mom's, Esmeralda is her name, and…She's alive, but…" She sighed, "that's about as good as it gets for her. She'll live, no doubt, but things are rough at the moment. She got it worse that you."

As she spoke, I tried to move my body around to find my weak spots so I could soon get out of the bed. "When we got into the mine, I stopped and she sprinted away from me. Before I could react, the bomb went off. She was farther than I was. Closer to the blow." Sake didn't say anything. "So, do you know who did it?"

She shook her head, "no, that sick person is still out there somewhere." She walked over to the kitchen and opened up a drawer. She took out a handful of leaves I didn't recognize. "Want some?"

"Yeah." My stomach answered for me. "What is it?"

She laughed. Her laugh was a wild laugh; loud and obnoxious, but good-hearted. "Mint leaves. I was going to put them in hot water, still want some?"

"Yes, please." My stomach grumbled loud. Sake laughed again.

"Hungry?" I nodded. "We'll eat over at Esmeralda's. I'll fix some food over there in a bit."

Sake put the leaves in the big pot of boiling water and stirred it with a stick. Then she came to my side and examined my elbow. "New leaves…" She muttered to herself. She walked to the foot of the bed and fumbled around the large trunk. "Where could I find more cotton?!" She continued muttering things to herself as I lay back down. The smell of mint flooded the tiny house. I had only smelled mint a few times before. The shop owners, Abe and Lilliana, had brewed some mint water for the adults one time when we went over there to eat on a holiday. Other rare times, I had eaten different flavored mints. Spearmint was my favorite, if I was remembering correctly. It almost lulled me to sleep if a few big bangs on the door didn't make me jump up.

Sake had a frightened look on her face. "Hide! Hide! Hide!" She whispered frantically to me. I started to climb out of bed when my back stopped me. It felt like someone had shot me through the back. She darted over to me and yanked me up, causing me more pain, and pulled me over to the open trunk. She made wild motions trying to tell me to climb in while more knocks banged on the door.

My vision became blotchy as I climbed in. She shut the trunk gently, not making a noise while doing so, and I stayed completely still; clutching my elbow.

A deep voice said something at a low tone, and Sake answered: "Oh, no sir, I don't have any family." The man talked more. I wish I could have heard. "What?! But, but, I can hardly—" The man interrupted her, this time yelling. But his yelling sounded like gibberish through the trunk walls, so I couldn't understand him at all.

"Yes, yes sir." I heard two sets of footsteps, one light and graceful, and the other clanking of large boots. "Here you are." Sake said.

"Good day, ma'am." The man said, frighteningly close to the trunk I was hiding in. The door squeaked and slammed. He must have closed it. After a moment the light footsteps came in my direction and the trunk lid opened.

"I'm sorry, Cynthia, you must be in so much pain." She said sympathetically. She gently helped me out and back over to the bed. Yes, it was painful being in there, but luckily she had extra blankets and fabrics in there that supported my back, but my squished legs were pressed against jars and such.

Lying back down in bed, a slight garble of pain slipped through my lips.

"Oh, Cynthia." She sat next to me and rubbed my shoulder. "I wish there was more I could do. Ready for some hot mint water?" I nodded. She walked over and dipped a brown mug in the water and brought it over to me. I brought it to my nose and sniffed. It was so refreshing and cleaned my senses so well. I took a sip, the hot mint was delicious.

"So who was the person at the door?" I asked once Sake had gotten herself a cup.

"A guard. Since I don't have any family here, that means I didn't have anyone injured, so I had to give him money. He says it's 'for the families who have losses' but I don't believe that one bit. Do you think Esmeralda will get any of that money? No. But Jubilife will." She shook her head.

"That's so horrible. Is anyone trying to figure out who or what caused this bomb?" Concern flicked in my voice. Genuine concern, of course, because even though I was only in this town for probably just minutes—until I got blown up—I felt sympathy. Everyone here was nice, no one deserved the mistreatment.

"Maybe… It's hard to tell." She sighed. "Ready to try and get moving again? We should head over to Esmeralda's." Nodding, she helped me to my feet. My head felt stuffed full of cotton, much like my makeshift bandage, and my vision blotched again. _You're not helpless, you're not helpless. _I repeated. After a few moments I could see again, and forced myself to walk, with little help from Sake, a few houses over.

She helped me up to Ellena's front door and knocked. Esmeralda opened the door. She was wearing the same thing as yesterday, a tan colored outfit and apron. Her hair was a mess on the top of her head, and her bangs looked glued to her forehead with sweat. Her eyes were big and puffy; I assumed she had been crying. We stepped in the house. The first thing I saw was both twin-sized beds occupied by Ellena and young Essie. Essie was sitting up in her bed looking at us, her big brown eyes filled with so much sadness it hurt, and Ellena was sleeping.

Sake helped me get comfortable on the small sofa and went to the kitchen area to get to work. Esmeralda sat next to me.

"How's Ellena doing?" I asked quietly.

She shook her head and looked like she was fighting back tears, "well how do you think she's doing?" She whispered, "she was just in a bombing! Where multiple people died! So she's fine, right?"

"I'm sorry," was all I could say. She turned her head, assumingly to roll her eyes.

"The bomb…" she started, avoiding my eyes, "was so rough on her ears…She could possibly have lost hearing in _both _ears. The impact made her crash to the ground, and someone else crash into her, so her injuries aren't very good. We were afraid she had slipped into a comatose, but thankfully that's not the case. Others weren't that lucky, however." She shook her head, a look of anger crossed her face, but then she put her face in her hands. Sake came to her side and hugged her.

"It's okay…It'll _be_ okay, Es." Sake said. Her tone said one thing, but her face said another. Esmeralda stood up and walked to Ellena.

Ellena awoke and looked around. She looked over at me but didn't do or say anything that made me believe she saw me. Her gaze landed on her mother and stuck there. No words were exchanged between them. They just looked at each other and held each other's hand. Esmeralda kissed her on the forehead before moving to Essie. Ellena's gaze rested on me again. I slightly smiled at her but she just looked up at the ceiling.

Leaning back on the aged sofa, I closed my eyes and the scene of Ellena and her mother played again. Things like this made me wonder what it would have been like to have _my_ mother comfort me when I was sick. To have a mother who would just hold my hand and it would be all the comfort I need, a mother who would take me into her warm embrace, just like Ellena and Esmeralda yesterday, a mother who would kiss my forehead and tell me how much she loved me, a mother who would devote her time to me when I needed it and would care for me; but, my mother had died when I was greedy and took that for granted. She died before I could thank her for being there for me and loving me and taking care for me. Before I realized what her love was; before I even really knew her.

Grandmother did just as good of a job as she would have, although I still found myself wondering what it would be like if it wasn't Grandmother, but my mother instead. Frankly, it didn't matter.

Sake announced dinner, and I wobbled to the wooden table and sat. Esmeralda wouldn't meet my eyes, except for less than a second, but I knew it wasn't because of _me. _She was upset because of her daughters. Nothing that had to do with me.

After the three of us finished I helped Sake take the dishes to the 'tub,' as she called it. The tub was a large sink where they washed their dishes, since they didn't have running water. I was helping her scrub the dishes when Esmeralda walked over to her kids. I took this as an opportunity to talk to Sake.

"Sake?" She looked at me. "Do you think Ellena is going to get well? I needed to talk to her about something…"

She sighed. "Cynthia, it's hard to say. She _could_ be permanently deaf. Plus she, too, has broken bones. Her left knee and possibly her leg, her left foot, and her hip are bothering her. When she was knocked down she basically tripped and landed roughly on her left side. She twisted her foot and ankle and her leg twisted underneath her. Plus she can't seem to hear! The poor thing."

Nodding, I muttered: "I guess I was lucky."

"Yes, you were very, very lucky." She agreed.

"It's a good thing you came to my rescue though." I said. "You let me stay over there and cared for me…Thank you."

"Oh, it's nothing. People tell me I have an instinct for these kinds of things, but I really don't."

"Yes you do, Sake, you have tons of instinct. You have been amazing to me. I swear my elbow feels ten times better." I slightly wiggled it, but pain shot through it and I cringed. "…Well it was feeling better."

"Just don't move it. Once we get back to my place we'll fix up a new leaf and I'll try to find some cotton somewhere." Giving up on washing dishes, since I was just making a mess, I sat back down. My eyes moved to Ellena, who was looking back at me.

She kept her eyes locked on me. I didn't know what to do. It didn't seem like a glare, but it sure wasn't a 'let's be best friends' look. I was giving her the same look back; an unreadable one. I wasn't mad at her, by any means, I just didn't know her. And I needed to talk to her. Maybe she knows who Pete is. She pulled the blanked tighter around her and hid her eyes.

Sighing, I focused on the ceiling. _Does she know anything? Is all this a complete and total waste of my time? _I thought. _It doesn't matter. Who knows if she's even able to help me, we're not even friends. I don't know this girl. _It dawned on me that, not only was it a risk for me to be here because it's illegal, I had no business being here otherwise. Imposing on another family like this, no wonder Esmeralda wouldn't give me the time of day. _I just need to ask about Pete and get out. Or maybe just leave…No, not without asking about Pete. That was my goal since the beginning. _Admittedly, I was very curious. Why would Hilbert make me go through _this_, if it wasn't for something important? I would find out.

Back at Sake's house, she tried to settle me in her own bed, but I refused. I could sleep on the sofa just as easily as she could. So I lay on the sofa, another mug full of mint water warming my palms, and Sake sitting at my feet. Now was the perfect time to talk to her.

"So Sake…Are you sure everything's going to be alright at Ellena's? It just seems…" I trailed off.

She thought for a moment and then sighed. "Well…I suppose I should tell you…Her father, Es' husband, was a miner…He worked in the far ends, right where the bomb went off…" She didn't continue, but I knew.

"So that's why she took off, to get to the back." I said mostly to myself.

She nodded. Her eyes started to water. "Oh Cynthia, they're all heartbroken. Poor Es is all tore up. She told me she's been having delusions and… And…" She started crying. "He was such a great guy, you know, he was the best dad—better than my dad." She snorted. "Well, that's any dad… Anyways, he was always cheery and joyful, and such a funny guy too. It's so terrible. Only a few people worked back there. Most people mine for coal or gold in different sections. Everyone from his section was killed along with a bunch of other people. Thankfully most of the workers just are banged up but, still, who knows what Lea will do to us if only a few of the workers can go back to work? If we don't have enough coal, gold, jewels, anything by the end of the week Lea could take _everything_! He already has taken our electricity, money, and freedom." Tears of sadness, and possibly anger at this point, strolled down her cheeks. Her teeth were clenched together as she spoke.

"That's so..." I couldn't think of the right word to express how _awful _it was. "I thought things were bad in Celestic, but, they're not. Not at all."

The tears had stopped by now, just as quickly as they came, and she gave me a look. "You're from Celestic, not Solaceon?" Her tone was odd.

"I'm…Yeah, I'm from Celestic, Town of The Ruins. Near Solaceon."

"Yes, I know where and what it is, but I just… Don't you know Hilbert?"

How did she know Hilbert? How did she know I knew Hilbert? Why did she think I was from Solaceon? Alarms started going off in my head.

Sake noticed my pause. "Do you know Hilbert? The Day Care owner from Solaceon?" She repeated. This time it was more forceful.

"Yes I know him, I also know Hilda. They are family friends, why are you even asking?!" I regretted answering her. It was none of this ladies business.

"Well he had said he was sending someone here, and I don't know, I guess I thought it was you but…I'm…"

"Sorry, maybe?! Look, I know Hilbert, yes, but I'm not going to tell you every inch of my life! Stop prying!" I yelled. She flinched.

"Shh." She said gently. "I _am_ sorry. Very. I didn't realize he wasn't talking about you. At first I didn't think you were anything but a traveler until Ellena told me about Hilbert's note."

Intently I listened. My eyebrows had ruffled together. This lady was insane, and honestly, it slightly scared me. I just wanted to stomp out and run away, but I knew I couldn't do this. Why would Ellena tell her about a note from Hilbert and then she would assume it was _me_?

"Why would you think I was from Solaceon? Why would you think Hilbert was talking about me?"

She thought again. "Well…We got a letter from him, and he said a young lady was coming our way. But you're not her, I guess. Kind of a coincidence, isn't it?" She said as she walked to the kitchen. She grabbed a bowl and brought it over to me. "Berry?" She held it out to me. I shook my head. She then walked over to the trunk and started muttering about cotton again.

This was…Weird. Hilbert said he was sending a letter to Pete, why would this family know about it? Then it hit me: What if Pete was killed in the bombing? But then, why would Ellena know about the letter? This was too odd.

"Sake," now I was the one who sounded forceful. She stood up and came to my side. "Do you know a Pete?"

She paused. "Of course, he was Ellena and Essie's father."

* * *

><p><strong>*This chapter has been hardcore edited\rewritten<strong>


	6. Whispers

_Chapter Five: Whispers_

_With Every Legend, There's a Beginning _

"What?" Confusion rang in my tone. The man I came out of my way to see was now…Well, deceased. The beginning of my journey really wasn't going well at all; and I had barely started.

"Yes…What's wrong with that?" A weird expression was painted on Sake's face. My tone had her just as confused as I was.

"There's nothing _wrong_ with it, it's just…" I bit my lip. Should I tell her? _Sake has proven herself trustworthy._ I thought, deciding to explain myself. She deserved a good, true explanation; considering I just _walked _into her life suddenly. "While I was in Solaceon, I visited with Hilda and Hilbert, and I fell down and spent the night in the hospital, the next day I went to Hearthrome and the only reason I got in was because I needed to visit the doctor. But Hilbert told me to go to Oreburgh and meet his good friend Pete who would get me to Sandgem without going through Jubilife."

It took Sake a moment to process this. "Oh." She muttered. "He told you that, huh? Did he say anything else?"

It felt like centuries ago when I thought back to that day. "No." I finally said. "What else would he need to say?"

She shrugged. "Nothing. Well, that may be a problem…"

"Yeah." I said. "Do _you_ know a way to get to Jubilife from here? Is there a route?" During my school, I had to be able to locate things through Sinnoh and try to memorize routes; there wasn't a direct one to Jubilife from here.

She shook her head. "No. People who live here are forced to live here and forced to mine. No route there. But…" She paused, "Yes, there is a way to get to Sandgem. Not Jubilife, but Sandgem. However, someone would need to escort you. We'll need to plan it perfectly, if we leave and a guard catches us, we'll be killed for sure." She said it so nonchalantly it made me taste something sour in my mouth. They dealt with that _every day. _

"I don't need to be _escorted,_" I said, feeling a need to be independent.

She shook her head, "it's no bother, really. I'm sorry you got wrapped into all of this," she forced a laugh, "escorting you is the least I can do, and a walk outside the confines of Oreburgh? That sounds perfect, anyways."

"Alright, only if you're sure…" She nodded reassuringly, "so when are we leaving?"

"Right after lunch break. The guards won't be around. But now, let's go to sleep. It's been a long day." She said through a smile.

Nodding, I leaned back on the couch. She stood and blew out all the candles, leaving me in the dark.

* * *

><p>The next morning Sake left off doing some errands before we would be leaving. I was alone in her house; it felt weird to be alone in a stranger's house. <em>Yeah, she's a stranger. <em>I reminded myself, realizing I had entrusted my life with someone I didn't know.

Soon she returned with fresh berries, and she mashed them in a bowl to make what seemed like mush. While she was doing that, I studied my Sinnoh map. "So, are we going to be cutting through the woods to get to Sandgem?"

She was silent for a moment. "Actually, we'll be going through an underground tunnel that starts in the mines."

My eyes widened. There was _no way_ I would be going back into a mine after it blew up the last time I had stepped in one.

She turned around from her work and eyed me. "Are you okay, Cynthia?"

"Yeah I'm fine," I stated defensively, "the idea of going back into a mine is just…"

"I know, but, we'll be one-hundred percent safe down there. No bombs. I promise." Her voice was ridiculously reassuring, so I slightly smiled at her.

After we ate, Sake prepared for the walk. She wrapped her hair in a scarf and put the rest of the berries she had brought in a pouch and attached it to her clothes. When I mentioned saying goodbye to Ellena, Sake told me that probably wasn't the best idea and we needed to leave immediately. Assuming she was trying to protect this family she was close to, I didn't question her.

We reached the mine. A feeling of déjà vu rushed over me. It wasn't a happy feeling. My heart picked up speed and I felt anxiety nip at my sides. Somewhere deep inside I was convinced that a bomb was in there. And it would kill me. I stopped before skidding down the steep slope and entering the mine.

"It's okay, trust me." Sake said. "We might be seen soon, come on." I nodded, but I wasn't doing this because I trusted her; I was doing it to be brave. _Don't be a wimp, Cynthia Marie! _A quote from Ember; one he had used on me quite a bit. So I entered the mine.

We were down in the main area, a few workers looked at us; but none questioned our presence. There was a branching path to the left, one that was quite dark, and Sake started to walk down it—I followed at her heels.

"Are you—" I started.

"Shh!" Sake held up her hand. "We don't want anyone to hear." She whispered. We had to walk single-file down this dark hallway. I couldn't see _anything _until I heard Sake fumble around with something, and then light a match.

"Where are we, exactly?"

"This is an old place of the mine that hasn't been used for years. Come here." We walked over to a big boulder. "Let's just see…" She said to herself. She circled the rock and patted it. "How—" She paused and her head shot up.

"What?"

"Guards!" She whispered. I listened. I heard the mumbles of men in the distance. It was getting louder and soon I heard footsteps. I ran to Sake's side. We crouched behind the boulder. There was a small hole in the back of the boulder that Sake was digging her finger into. "C'mon, c'mon!" She whispered frantically. I heard someone yell.

"Hey, anyone down here? This place is off limits." The footsteps were closer.

Just then I heard a click. The big rock slid forward and revealed about a foot long hole. Sake about pushed me in and I knocked my elbow. I winced as I fell to the floor. I lost my footing and fell right on my back. Luckily my bag cushioned my fall. Sake was a little more graceful. She dropped down and landed perfectly on her feet and reached up and pressed a button. The boulder quickly slid back into place with one click. Relief filled me.

"That was too close." I said.

"Yeah," I heard her say, but she blew out the match in the process of falling, so I couldn't see her.

The next thing I realized was light. Light filled the room. Sake had somehow found and lit a lantern. She slid a box of matches into her berry pouch. "Alright. Now that we're safer, let's get going. This path will take us right to Sandgem. Ready? Oh, how is your elbow and back?" Honestly I hadn't thought about the pain I was in, and I wasn't going to start now.

"Great, let's go." Sake helped me up to my feet and took the lead yet again. I quickly glanced around the small room.

It had built-in shelves that lined the walls. They were filled with lanterns, mining gear, canned foods, towels and blankets, anything you would need to survive. That made me question why Sake knew about this and why this was even here. But I continued walking. Even though some thoughts on who Sake _really _was crawled through my mind, deep down I knew she was a nice person and couldn't be a bad person. Why would I doubt myself? Sake was a good person who helped me and didn't expose me to the guards. But at the same time, wasn't she also hiding from the guards? I didn't need to accuse her, but I also needed to stay cautious.

This situation suddenly became alarming. I was letting a _stranger _lead me through an underground trail that could ultimately lead me to my death. My instincts kicked in and told me to run like the wind, that I shouldn't be here, that I need to _leave. _

"So Solaceon's Center admits humans too?" Sake suddenly asked, and I pushed my thoughts away.

"Only because Hilbert made them," I answered. She started laughing obnoxiously.

"Well, Oreburgh isn't allowed to admit human patients. There is only one nurse there and she's from the Golden Cities, so she despises being here. She has an apartment in the back of the Center and she lives there free and gets better and more food then all of Oreburgh put together, but she only sees Pokémon, so all the workers who get illnesses are left to suffer until they die in their own homes. I go and check on them…But…I don't do anything but try and give them medicines. I don't have anything but herbs I can collect out in the forest and that's not enough to bring people back from the brink of death. Poor Essie, she could die, you know. Her illness can kill her. All because of Lea."

Essentially, Lea lets innocent people die. "No one helps the workers when they are sick? And yet they are forced to work? You would think the Golden Cities would share medicine just so they can have their coal and precious gold."

"You would think, wouldn't you? Or they would try to save children, at least males since they'll be forced to mine as soon as they turn fifteen, but no. They have no hearts. Just as long as they get what they want. It's horrible. I'm outraged." I believed her, it was unfair.

"If woman aren't forced to mine, how do you make money? How will Esmeralda make money?"

"What money? We have none. I had very little. And I mean _very little_. It was all taken from me after the bombing and deaths. I venture out into the woods and collect herbs, leaves and berries. I go and sell them to some families and they give me money or food or something. I also go and housekeep for an elderly couple. The man is retired from mining and is too ill to do anything, and the woman is held up in bed all day because of some bone and skin disease. Me and Esmeralda both work for them. We feel bad because we take all their money, but we treat them good. Their home is spotless and I normally tend to the couple while Esmeralda cooks, so they're not hungry. While I was out this morning I stopped by their place and gave them berries. That will last them while I'm gone. I don't expect Esmeralda to go over there." She sighed. "Now, Esmeralda will have to do what I do. She's too afraid to go out into the woods, though. She's afraid she'll get caught by a guard. So Ellena will probably do the selling and trading. I'll let Es take over with the elderly couple so she'll have that money coming in. And if Essie gets better…I don't know…She'll do something." Sake sounded distressed over this. You could tell how much she cared for Esmeralda and her family. This was probably the first time she realized that Esmeralda had no money anymore.

No money meant no food; no food meant no life. I noticed how slim Sake was. Her face was almost skeleton-like, but not grotesque in any way. She was pretty, with silky hair and olive-toned skin. How many people die from starvation in Oreburgh?

"Why are you forced to stay in such a place of poverty?"

"Our town started to strongly disagree with Lea's ways of doing things…A group of citizens took a stand and rioted in the streets. Lea sent in a ton of guards…Some of them beat our citizens to death right in the streets, scaring everyone. Then, the guards became permanent, the fences went up, we were forced to mine and…Yeah. I'm surprised you didn't know this. Well, actually I'm not surprised. It's just like Lea to keep it some huge secret." I didn't know how to reply, so I didn't.

After a while, there was a strange noise. The two of us stopped and listened. It was odd, and quite unexplainable; but Sake reassured me that it was nothing. Still, I felt edgy. The sound was just…Alarming.

Then I felt something lightly brush my cheek and ear. I swiftly turned and looked around; of course there was nothing it could have been. Sake noticed my movement and cocked her head at me. I just shook my head and continued walking; dismissing the whole situation. Then something touched my shoulder. This time there was weight to it. It felt like some sort of hand. Quickly I slapped my shoulder, and I only hurt myself.

"What?" Sake finally said. I didn't answer.

Now something different and much weirder happened; I felt a presence at my side, right next to my face. It whispered: "Do not," it paused, "be. A fool." I could feel the puff of breath in my ear.

"Have heart." It continued. Then, I felt the presence leave. The hand on my shoulder left. The faint whispers stopped.

"What?" She repeated.

"Didn't you hear the whispers?"

Her eyebrows came together, "no. What _are _you talking about?"

"No, I heard…" I trailed off. "Nothing, I guess. I just had a moment. I've had weird moment ever since we walked into this mine. I'm very, very, very uncomfortable down here," my voice wavered. "Ready to continue?"

She paused. "Yeah, I am. But the real question here is, are _you_ ready to continue?"

"Yes." As soon as the word slipped through my lips a wind, a real heavy wind, whipped around and blew out the rest of the lantern.

"Oh!" Sake gasped. The mine was very dark now. I felt something hit my shoe. _The hand and the whispers! They're back! _I darted in some direction. I let out a 'gah!' as I ran off. "Cynthia! Cynthia! Don't panic! It was just a berry!" She yelled. I stopped in my tracks and examined this. She probably reached in her pouch where she had both berries and the matches, and one fell out on my shoe. I moaned to myself. I had lost it. I was crazy. I needed to get _out of there_. A light lit up behind me. I turned and faced Sake. I slumped over to her.

"I'm so sorry, Sake. I-I…"

"Hey, the mines play with your head. C'mon, I can feel the breeze, we're close." She smiled at me. I nodded and followed her down the path. She started to make small talk. Normally, I despised small talk and talking in general, but this time I was happy she acted as if the last ten minutes hadn't happened.

She was right: We were close. Down the path was a ladder, somehow nailed into the cave wall, and the large hole at the top of it, with sunlight beaming in. We climbed out, Sake first, and the fresh, breezy air was amazing. We were in a forest, but I knew we were close to the beach because of the salty smell in the air. "Sake…I'm sorry for acting so odd down there. Will you forgive me and, please, forget?"

She laughed. "Oh of course I forgive you! And don't worry, I've already forgotten." She winked. "Okay, so the town is that way." She pointed east. "I hope you arrive safely."

"Wait, wait, you aren't going with me?" I asked.

She looked away and thought. "No. I need to be back with Es and all. I want to make her dinner. You'll be fine." She smiled. "I'll see you."

"Okay, goodbye. And thank you for everything."

She walked over to the entrance. "No problem. You have fun now." She hopped down the ladder and disappeared. I followed her directions and walked east.

"Alright, I'm on my own again." I smiled at the thought; I liked this. "Now, no more trusting strangers, no exceptions. I'm going to see Professor Rowan and be on my way." I said to myself. "Great. Now I'm talking to myself. First the whispers, now this? I must be going crazy." The forest ended, and I happened upon a sandy beach.

The sand was hot. It felt nice. I looked up into the sky. It was deep blue with no clouds in sight; and Flying Types enjoying themselves. Not like home. I heard something. It was a mixture of sloshing water and wind. I looked to my left: off in the distance was dark blue water with waves that were splashing on one another. This was it: Paradise. I took off to the water with a smile painted on my face. I felt so childish sprinting to the water, but I didn't care at that time. When I reached the water I dropped my bag to my side, pulled up my black pants so they rested at my knees, and stepped into the foam. Then watched the warm water come to me and run across my feet and ankles, then fall back to the giant world of the ocean. It was an amazing sight. The water never ended.

Walking out of the water, I sat on the empty shore for a little while; allowing myself to soak it all in.

Afterwards I wandered into town. There were some kids running about, and a few parents keeping an eye on them. Sandgem reminded me of Solaceon, in a way. The homey atmosphere and the families running around made the two match. But there was also some Celestic thrown in, too; instead of the little homes in Solaceon there were cabins like Grandmothers. All the cabins were placed on the far side of town, near where the forest starts back up and away from the beach. This place was nothing like Oreburgh, however; Oreburgh's matching homes, all structured into organized lines, and dirt roads powdered with coal dust was all original.

There was seemingly one main street, which stretched from the route leading here until it abruptly ended at the forest edge. There were branching dirt paths that wrapped around clusters of houses, and sometimes inching into different places of the trees; probably leading to more homes. At the end of the street was a larger cabin, with an out-of-place addition slapped onto the side. There was a wooden sign out-front that read: "Sinnoh Laboratory: Place of Pokémon Discoveries"

That was my place. Walking up to the front door, I knocked. I know the lab was supposedly a public place, but since it was a _house, _I felt obligated to knock and not just waltz in uninvited. I stood there for a good two minutes, knocked again, stood for even longer, then decided to just waltz in uninvited. As I pushed the door open, it slammed into a large desk, making an empty glass fall over. "Whoops," I muttered, and put the glass back upright. I quickly looked around the room. It wasn't that small, but it was crowded with cabinets, shelves, desks, a glass case displaying a Pokémon egg model, and a large examination table placed in the middle. There was nobody here, so with a sigh, I turned to leave.

"Don't worry about it." I heard a male voice say. I spun around and saw an older man standing in a doorway across the room. "It happens all the time." Confused, I didn't say anything. Then I realized he was talking about the desk and door, so I quickly moved the door to examine it. There was a large gash in the wood in both the door and desk, that made me feel a little better.

He approached me. "I'm Professor Rowan, but most just call me Rowan. And who are you?" He reached his hand toward me.

Grabbing his hand, I shook it before quickly pulling away. "Cynthia." I said bluntly. I wasn't interested in talking to this man. He was older, probably in his forties or a little younger. His hair had a few strands of white around the almond brown. He had slight stubble run across his face and an almond mustache was growing above his lip. He didn't wear a lab coat, which was proof to me that he didn't do anything research related. I would tell Ember that later.

When I said my name his eyebrows smashed together. "Ah." Was all he said. "You don't happen to be…?"

"Actually I happen to be Cynthia Everheart. Winnie was my Grandfather. You knew him, correct? And my grandmother Carolina?" The sharpness in my tone seemingly didn't affect him.

His eyebrows went back to normal. "Oh, yes, yes. Winnie was a great friend of mine. How is he doing?"

Biting my lip, I tried to think of the words. "Actually…" I paused. He looked at me weird.

"What is this about, Cynthia? Why have you come here?" He sounded concerned.

"My grandfather died five years ago." I said, ignoring his last sentence.

He looked very surprise. He walked around me and took a seat at his desk. "Oh. How come I didn't hear about this?" He said. But he didn't look at me.

Not knowing the answer, I simply said: "I'm sorry no one told you."

"It's quite alright. How is Carolina? I hope she's well."

"Yes, she is. She's perfectly fine."

Rowan got up and walked to his examination table. I followed him. There were papers that he was shuffling through. He stopped and looked at me. "You know, I met you when you were just a youngling. Don't you remember? You were two, I think." He thought. "Ah, yes. Two. When Cassie-" He stopped.

I winced at my mother's name. I probably shouldn't by now, but I did. It was just a weird part of me I couldn't throw away.

"I am so sorry for your loss. I was never able to tell you that, you know."

"There's no need to be sorry. It's done. It's over." I said. He looked at me strange.

"I still am sorry. Cassie was my good friend." He sighed and looked back down at the papers. "You look just like her…" He didn't look at me. He conveniently turned away. "Everything except those eyes. She had pretty dark green eyes. Reminded me of the trees. And she loved plants." He laughed. "We used to go out and pick leaves. But that was a _long_ time ago. When I was just a lab tech, when this laboratory was a place of wonder, and many people worked under this roof. I worked with your granddad Winnie, and Cassie was around the age of eighteen. I was twenty. She would come in to the lab every day and see her dad. She would sit up on the desk and tell him about her 'foliage findings,' as I called them. Which they weren't anything spectacular. To me, at least. But boy did she think everything about plants was the greatest thing. A lot of times she would drag Winnie out and show him things. Sometimes she would drag me along, too. We had good times, your mother and I. She soon met Chance. He worked at the lab, also. And they were married so quickly. Then she was pregnant. It shocked us all how quickly things went by. Then Winnie and Carolina moved and Cassie went with them. I saw them four years later. When I met you. You were only two. Apparently before you, your mother had a miscarriage. So sad that bad things happen to such good people. And then…" He trailed off and sighed.

Then my parents died, that's how that story ends. I paused, hoping he would say more. My grandparents never mentioned my parents. The words mother, father, Cassie and Chance were forbidden in my household. "Thank you." I had an urge to thank him. "I had never heard anything about my parents."

He looked at me. There were no signs of tears, but I could see the pity written on his face. "No problem. I thought you might like to hear something. Winnie was nothing like your mother or grandmother." He laughed. "What a jokester! A day at the lab wasn't a boring day let me tell you that." He began laughing, and a genuine smile crossed my face. He composed himself quickly, as did I. "Anyway, Cynthia, is there anything I can do for you? I always thought that Winnie would help you out when you decided to become a trainer…But…" He looked at me inquisitively, "You do want to be a trainer, yes?"

"Yes, I do want to become a trainer." I said. "What do I have to do so I can start battling gyms?"

"Well you need a Pokémon." He scratched his stubbly chin. "I'm sorry I don't have any to give you. But, never fear, I'll go catch you one." He reached for his coat and put in on.

"That's not necessary. As it happens, Grandfather left me a Pokémon. Is that all I need?"

"Well, yeah. But you need to know how to train and such. Come sit." He brought the chair from his desk over to me. I sat down.

Aggravated, I said: "I know how to train."

"Okay, good! Do you know how to use moves? Heal Pokémon? Catch Pokémon? You need a few to challenge gyms. I like to think it's my duty to make sure trainers know how to do it properly." He opened a drawer and pulled out a small piece of paper. "Here is a license. It's not as official-looking as one from a Trainer School would be, but it's still necessary. Plus it states that it's from the lab, brownie points." He winked, trying quite desperately to be funny.

"Wait, wait, wait, you _like to think_ it's your duty?!" I stood up from my chair. "If it's not your duty then what do you do? Did I waste my time coming here?"

"Absolutely not, Cynthia. You needed to come to Jubilife anyways. So you just came a little extra way. And I'm glad you came and we had our chat." He was perfectly calm.

I started walking to the door. "Then I'm headed to the gym. See you later." I reached for the handle.

"Wait for me!" Rowan darted over to me.

"What?" I turned toward him.

"It's my duty to—"

"No. You _like to think_ it's your duty."

"Right. I like to think it's my duty to make sure trainers are ready to go. Come on, I'll escort you to Jubilife then you will never have to see me again."

That didn't sound too bad. "Why do I need to go to Jubilife?" I thought back to Hilbert's words.

He gave me a weird look. "You have to be interviewed. It's required by Champion Lea. 'Every trainer must have a televised interview in Jubilife and must be escorted to the first gym.' Don't you know that?"

_If I have to go to Jubilife, why would Hilbert tell me not to?_ I thought. "I can't just go challenge the gym?" I asked.

He shot me another look. "No. You can't get to Oreburgh on your own."

Hastily I tried to cover myself up, "oh, is that so? I didn't know that. Okay then, to Jubilife." I smiled at him.

He stared at me. "Okay…?" He walked into another room. Then, a huge bird flew out of the room. It flew towards me, and fluttered right in front of me. It had huge muscular wings and beefy legs and feet. It was gray, white with some brown. It had a broad chest and long beak.

"I hope you don't mind if we take him along. He's my only Pokémon. He's a Staraptor. Champ is his name." He laughed. I laughed too. He held a weird bag in his hand. It looked like a giant pouch. He noticed me looking at it. He leaned to the side and put the bag behind him. I pretended not to notice and turned toward the Pokémon.

"Alright Champ," He cocked his head at his name. "Are you ready to leave?" He spread out his wings and crowed. I laughed again. "Okay, let's go." I opened the door and he soared out. I watched the magnificent bird soar up to the heavens and swoop around.

"He's a beauty." Rowan said.

"Yeah he is." I agreed.

He suggested we walk to the Pokémon Center and heal my Pokémon. I guess it wouldn't be a bad idea to have Gible checked out and fed.

We walked in to the Center and up to the counter. The nurse greeted Rowan and took my Pokéball. She took the ball into another room and Rowan and I sat on a sofa.

"So you only have one Pokémon?" He asked me.

"Yeah. Grandfather left me a Gible."

"Do you know what level he is?"

"_She._ And I don't know. She's not very tough." I said.

"And you think you're ready for a gym?"

"Yes." I shot him an odd look. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"First of all, you need your Pokémon at level ten _at least_ to challenge a gym, second of all you need to be familiar with his—"

"_Her._"

"Right. Her moves. Do you know what moves she knows?"

"I know she knows Tackle and Growl." I said. "I'm not too sure what level she is."

"If we train, I'll be able to tell. We have to get out of the town limits, of course."

"Okay. I guess I need to train more." Even though the last training session wasn't very successful.

"You guess? You _need_ to. You're going to train a lot, Cynthia. Understand? Wait here. I'm going to go get something from the lab." He walked out of the Center. Sighing, I thought: _How legitimate are his practices, anyway? When he works in a lab all by himself? What Pokémon discoveries does he actually make? _

Rowan returned soon after the nurse handed Gible back to me. "I got a few more Pokéballs, a potion, and this." He held it up. It was a small silver bell.

"Why do you need that?" I asked.

"It's a soothing bell. You said you have a Gible, they're dragons and very, very hard to train. A soothe bell will be the trick." He put the bell in his pocket and handed the other items to me. I stuffed them in my bag.

"Alright then, let's go train." We left the building. Champ was up in the air soaring happily.

Rowan whistled. The Staraptor swooped down and landed in front of him. _I wonder if Gible will ever get that trained._ I thought, then quickly shook my head and smirked.

We walked with Champ at our side out of Sandgem. There was slightly wet grass under our feet, and a spring breeze that brushed the grass and leaves gently. A few deep green leaves blew past us.

"It's so beautiful out here." I said.

Rowan nodded. "Indeed. I'm so lucky to live here."

The sky was so clear and the colors were unreal. It made everything from Celestic seem bland. I nodded my agreement.

Rowan stopped and looked around. "Alright Miss Cynthia, I think we can train here." He put down his things and grabbed the silver bell.

"I must warn you Rowan, she doesn't train easy." I got her ball out of my bag.

"I'm beginning to think you have no faith in me. I have trained many Pokémon in my time." He held his hand out for the ball.

_Don't trust him! _"I will do it," I assured him, then threw the ball in the air. "Gible!" I yelled, calling her out.

My Pokémon manifested from the light, and her Pokéball dropped to the ground nearby. She spun around and faced us, then glared at me and growled.

"Here you are, Gible." Professor Rowan reached down towards her and she snarled.

Then, before we could react, she jumped up and tackled me.

* * *

><p><strong>*This chapter has been hardcore editedrewritten**


	7. Interview

_Chapter Six: Interview_

_With Every Legend, There's a Beginning _

The wind wisped around me and cradled me in its chilly, nighttime embrace. I shivered a bit as I walked in the darkness. I clutched the flashlight that was leading me on tightly and wished I had dressed just a little warmer. The beach breeze was comfortingly cool when the warmth of the sun was beaming down on you. At night, however, the breeze was cold.

I already missed the smell of salt in the air and the bits of sand beneath my feet. But a new smell flooded the area around me. It was woody and fresh. The perfect forest breeze that Celestic lacked. No matter how far you go into the forest it doesn't smell _this_ fresh and woody. Maybe because the trees there are usually a yellow-brown color not this deep-dark green.

The sky above me was a black blanket with only a few twinkles of stars. When Celestic wasn't overcast, you could see almost every star up there. It was unreal. One of the perks of living on a mountain.

We had finished training my Snorlax-Gible with progress made. Rowan made his level-guess of fourteen, but I shot it down. My Pokémon _wasn't _level fourteen.

_He really isn't a professor. _I had thought when he said that. _He's a fake. My Gible is not that high in levels! _

So, to prove his point, he told me to call off a few moves. "Sand-Attack!" I commanded. After a few tries, Gible protruded an inch of sand, proving that she at least knew the move and we would work on it.

Rowan also figured out that she didn't know the _move_ Growl, she just liked to growl at people. That proved that 'she _is_ high in levels' or so Rowan said. I rolled my eyes.

He told me to call of Dragon Rage, and at first I refused. "My Pokémon doesn't know that good a move or she would have tried to use it on me like she did with Tackle." I stated with my arms crossed over my chest.

"Not if she's just lazy and hadn't worked with the move in her time." He shot back. "Just call it before I do." That last part sounded like something Ember would have said.

"Dragon Rage, now!" I yelled in anger to my Pokémon who started to doze off. She jumped up, turned toward a huge tree, opened her mouth, and let the smallest ember of blue stuff out. It was so small it evaporated before making it to the tree that was five feet away.

"That doesn't mean she knows it." I muttered.

"Oh, yes it does Miss Cynthia. No Pokémon can just _use_ a move. They have to learn it by nature. Its instinct, you know."

So with that, that proved that she was at least level seven. I believed that. Seven was a good number and we would work with that.

"So she's level seven." I had said.

"No. She's most likely past level ten. Just look at her size." He pointed to her head. "If she wasn't below level ten, her head wouldn't be this big."

"It's big no matter what." I rolled my eyes at the Pokémon. She growled.

Rowan ignored me and pointed to her teeth. "See those? Those are nice and sharp. Level ten teeth, my dear."

"She's not that high in levels, I tell you! Grandfather wouldn't have given me such a great Pokémon as my first Pokémon."

"He wouldn't? That's what he would do, in my opinion. Anyways, he found this Pokémon most likely in Wayward Cave. In there, it has been proven, that there is a Gible nest. All Gible are around level fifteen that aren't in the back of the newly born section. If there _is_ a newly born section. What I'm getting at, Miss Cynthia, is that Winnie would have had to battle the angry mother Garchomp, and win, to get to her nest and catch a Pokémon. Like all dragon dens it's made up in sections, probably with the level tens and under in the back where they most likely won't get hurt, and the other in the front ready for a fight. Do you think Winnie would _really_ give you a weak Pokémon? If he thought what I'm thinking, he thought about getting you the Garchomp, because you are more than ready for the responsibility."

I was silent for a moment. Thinking this through. He could have me beat by the logic, but I know my Pokémon. "Still. She's so stubborn she probably wasn't 'in the back' she probably escaped the den, _if_ there was one." I countered. I returned my Pokémon and put her in my bag. He didn't say anything else. I smiled in victory.

My smile returned on my face as I focused back on where I was. We stopped training when the sun had set so it had gotten really late and really dark. One thing I noticed about this path was that Pokémon didn't linger around and yet there were no electric fences or giant walls. There were no walls or fences in Sandgem either. I questioned Rowan on this.

"Well, I guess they felt no need for security. Maybe because I live in that town." _That's not it._ I thought. I decided this was good time to talk to Rowan about his thoughts on Lea. More dirt to throw at Ember later.

"Hey, Rowan—"

"Halt!" Someone yelled. Three guards ran to us. One grabbed me from behind and the other two surrounded the professor.

"Where do ya think you're goin'?" One asked.

"To Jubilife, mind you." Rowan said. He started to walk forward. The guards stepped closer.

"No you ain't. You're turnin' back to where you came from."

"And no one gets hurt." The one who had me said.

I started to struggle.

"Watch it!" He yelled. "I have the power to take your life right now, missy!"

"Listen, we don't want trouble." Rowan said. "We have a trainer here who wants to challenge Oreburgh. I, being Jerry Rowan, wanted to escort her. What's the problem with that?"

The guard in front of him scoffed. "Whatever Oldie Von Quack, you ain't goin' nowhere tonight. Don't ya know anythin'? Can't be on this route after sunset. Boss' orders. Yeah, ya heard me, my boss is Lea. I can report to him and have you arrested."

"Yeah, arrested." The other one said. "A-r-e-s, uhh, yeah, arrested!"

"What are you talking about? Why not?" I yelled.

"Well the little girl gotta voice." My guard tightened his grip around my shoulders.

"So why don't you be a pretty little princess and _shut up_?"

"Okay then we'll make our way back to Sandgem. But I assure you, I'm Sinnoh's Professor, anyone is safe with me." Rowan said.

"Sinnoh's what? How do we know you ain't lying?"

"He _is _lying, dopey!" My guard screamed. "Just arrest him already! This girl is struggling and I'm ready to leave!"

"All right, all right!" The guard grabbed Rowan. "Listen Buck, you're comin' with me for breakin' the law!"

Rowan pushed the guard away. "No, you listen to me, I have more right then you to escort a trainer on a route that's perfectly safe!"

"Oh yeah? Says who? Now, I'm going to arrest ya just 'cause I don't like ya!" Both guards grabbed Rowan and started pulling him down the route. My guard started pulling me too.

_What can I do? Gible is in my bag, I can't reach her!_ The guard had my arms in front of me. _I'm not strong enough for this guard, and I hope Rowan gives up on trying to talk us out, I don't have a chance at talking us out since I'm so aggravated I would end up getting myself killed… _I hung my head. I was helpless.

There was _nothing _I could do, no hope at all. Unless Rowan was thinking of something. But he seemed helpless too.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw something. I flicked my eyes over in the direction and turned my head just slightly. Champ, Rowans Staraptor, had come down from his glide in the sky and was flying in the shadows of the forest. A smile tugged at my lips. He was hope.

Just then Champ turned and hit both my guard and one of Rowan's guards with a light Wing Attack. The Staraptor kept on flying at a low-fly into the woods.

"Get 'im!" One guard yelled. They all dropped us and ran after the Pokémon in the woods.

Rowan silently chuckled. "Good boy, Champ!" He cheered.

I laughed. "Wow. Those guards are such morons they probably won't even come looking for us later."

"You're probably right!" He laughed good-heartedly.

"So, what now? Do we go back to Sandgem?" I asked.

"I don't see why we can't continue. Law or no law we're almost there. Let's go." We picked up our flashlights that had been dropped to the ground. Rowan took the lead and we got back on track to Jubilife.

After probably an hour or so we came upon a huge white building, just like the one to get into Hearthrome. Then it hit me: I'm probably a fugitive in Hearthrome, a wanted escapee. My heart race increased and my feet became glued to the ground.

"What is it? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"No, no. No ghosts." I said. I bit my lip. "I'll be fine." I continued walking forward. There was the Golden City logo on the building. Under the logo there was a guard who had fallen asleep.

"Hey, Rowan," I whispered. "Won't the guards in there arrest us for being on that route?"

He thought for a moment. "Probably not. It looks like it's naptime for these guards."

We walked into the building. It was a similar scene from Hearthrome's gate. A weird looking man sat half-asleep at the desk, and another man stood off to the left waiting for you to walk through the doorway-thing. We approached the desk.

"Hello welcome to Jubilife what may I do for you?" He grumbled. I could hardly make out what he was saying.

"We would simply like to get in." Rowan said. And like the lady in Hearthrome, this man laughed.

"Okay. That's rich." He said. "Letting someone in _at night_ that doesn't have appointments or anything? Do you not know the Golden City laws, my good sir? Maybe you don't. You cannot get into Hearthrome without an appointment, you cannot get into Jubilife at night without appointment. We're all too happy to let you in during daylight, but nighttime-" He wiggled his finger in front of his face and shook his head no.

"We _don't_ have an appointment?" Rowan stroked his chin in thought. "Oh I could have sworn we did. Oh now what was it?" He snapped his fingers. "Oh! I remember. This lady would like to become a trainer!" He motioned towards me. I had no idea where he was going with this. I just fake smiled and nodded my head. "We wanted to stay the night in Jubilife and get the interview early tomorrow morning. That won't be a problem, right?" He asked.

The man gave us an aggravated look. "Okay, fine, just this once, you hear?" We nodded.

The man grabbed our hands quickly and poked us with the needle. He smeared the blood on forms. "Names. Yours first." He pointed a pencil at Rowan.

"Professor Jerry Rowan." He said. The man wrote the down on the form and started taping at his odd, flat device.

"J-e-r-r-y R-o-w—Oh! Here we are." Something popped up on the screen. "Mr. Sinnoh Professor, you're done." He pointed to the doorway. Rowan walked over there.

My stomach became in knots. What if they discover I'm an escapee right there? My stomach turned.

"Name, please?" He asked aggravated.

"Cynthia," I paused.

"I need more." He scoffed.

"Cynthia Everheart." I choked out.

He typed in a few letters and poked the thing that popped up. A weird expression went over his face. He shot me a weird look. "There is record of you entering Hearthrome from Solaceon, but there is no record of you leaving." He placed his hands under his chin and prepared to listen to me.

I struggled to think of something. _Anything, Cynthia! Anything!_ I thought of something, but it was very farfetched.

"Oh, really? That's silly because, as it happens, I did leave Hearthrome. You see, I had a check-up at Hearthrome's huge, and very nice, Pokémon Center one day. But after my check-up I left back to Solaceon." I shrugged. "I don't know what happened there then."

"If you went back to Solaceon, how did you get here? You came from Sandgem, and there is no way to get to Sandgem except for going through Jubilife from Route 204. Or coming from Hearthrome."

"Right. You see, Rowan was a good friend of my grandfather, and because my grandfather isn't alive anymore, he wanted to come and help me become a trainer. He flew to Solaceon and took me back to his lab in Sandgem." I smiled.

The man was still looking at me weird. "Whatever, girly. I don't want to deal with you, so just go." He stood up quickly. "But if I hear anything strange about you, I'll report you."

"And I promise you won't hear anything strange." I said dryly as I walked to the doorway. I stepped through and it gave a good beep. The man there nodded. I walked to the back of the building and approached Rowan. Thankfully, he hadn't heard any of that.

"What took you so long?" He asked.

"It was just a mix-up. Apparently, the last time I was here, there's no record of me leaving." I shrugged. "It's all fixed now."

"Good. Ready?" I nodded and we walked through the door.

A fast wind came through and made me shiver. I was almost blinded by the city lights that lit up Jubilife like its daytime. Many people roamed the streets. It was set up a lot like Hearthrome. Huge walls outlining the city, tall buildings everywhere, and everyone wore the 'Golden City' look.

Rowan led the way down the large street. At the end of the street was a huge Pokémon Center. The center was a complete replica of the one in Hearthrome. I handed Gible to the pink-haired nurse and walked over to the large sofa in the lobby. Rowan sat and waited with me.

No one else was around in the Center; in fact only one nurse was working. _Well, since its Jubilife, who needs Pokémon? At least in Hearthrome you need them for contests. _I thought. It was true, no one needed them.

I relaxed in the overstuffed couch and yawned. I was very tired. I think I went into a weird mode where I couldn't process anything and put my emotions away in the back of my mind and locked them there. I didn't really realize I was in Jubilife. I didn't realize that I was becoming a trainer. I didn't realize that soon I would be known to Sinnoh. I was just distant.

"Are you ready to become a trainer?" Rowan asked all of a sudden.

I was taken aback by this. I didn't want to answer this question, wasn't it obvious I didn't know? "I think so." I said. I bit my lip. Did I think so? I wasn't sure.

"You think so?" He echoed. I nodded. "Miss Cynthia, you have to make up your mind before tomorrow."

"I don't know, okay?" I shot at him. "I don't know if I'm ready or if I'm making the right choice, okay? What do you want me to say? 'Oh most certainly Professor, I'm ready to run away from everything and become a trainer and start challenging gyms and become somebody'?"

"Haven't you _already_ run away from everything?" He challenged.

I processed his words as best as I could in my sleeping-mode. "No, I don't think so…"

"You don't think so? Are those your favorite words? You've been so sure of everything, why do you doubt now?"

"I don't know!" I yelled. I stood up. "I just don't know, okay? Let me have time to think and get your nose away from me!" I stomped out of the room and up to the nurse behind the counter.

"Is my Pokémon ready yet?" I asked her irritated.

She walked into the room behind her and came back out with my Pokéball in hand. She handed the ball to me. "Your Pokémon is doing well. Do you also want a room, miss?"

"Yes." I thought about asking for another one for Rowan, but he was a grown man, he could get it himself. She handed me a room key.

"Top floor. Third room on the right, very easy to find."

She was right, the room was easy to find. I opened my door and walked in. The room was probably as big as Sake's house. And it had its own bathroom. Relief hit me like a rock and I sat my black bag down. I went into the bathroom and smiled at the shower. I quickly went to it a reached for the handle to turn on the rushing water, but something stopped me. There were two handles. I cocked my head and looked closer. Both looked exactly the same, but one had a cursive 'C' and the other an 'H'. Of course, I forgot, the Golden Cities had both cold _and_ hot running water.

After a quick shower and raking a brush through my hair, I put on my favorite pair of pajama pants and a fresh t-shirt, I climbed into the bed. I was pleasantly surprised to find the bed had nice silk sheets. The leaves around my elbow didn't survive the shower so I had to do without. As long as the elbow wasn't completely straight, it didn't hurt as much. I sighed happily and relaxed.

A few thoughts like 'are you ready? 'Are you _sure _you're ready?' and 'you've made the wrong choice and you have left your grandmother alone!' scampered into my mind. But I swatted them away. Now was _not_ the time to think these things. _I need to get a good night's rest, then tomorrow have a nice breakfast, then go to my interview and see what happens from then on._ I thought.

I sighed again and set my mind to rest. I was too tired now to try to process my emotions; I would just have to wait. I told myself that over and over again as I fell into oblivion…

* * *

><p>I awoke the next morning feeling very refreshed. After dressing, brushing my hair, brushing my teeth with the toothbrush the Center provided, and relaxing in my room for a bit, I went down to the lobby in hopes to find food. I was overly starved. My stomach ached with hatred since it hadn't been fed in, how long? Who knows?<p>

I reached the lobby and my hopes vanished. No food. Just Rowan.

"Good morning, Cynthia. I see you slept in. So did I." He said as he approached. "We just missed the breakfast tray. But I found out that there is a restaurant near here. Right next-door, I believe." I was amazed at how he was just ignoring the fact I yelled at him and stomped away. I was relieved.

"That will be fine. Let's go."

We walked to the building next door. It was a nice restaurant. The walls were made of glass and there were flowers everywhere. We sat at a table in the front. I didn't want to go in, and I guessed Rowan didn't want to either. Our waitress came by and took our orders. We both ordered a muffin and water.

The day was sunny, only a few clouds lingered in the heavens. The sun was as bright as ever. It beamed on us all happily.

It was a perfect day. If you weren't in a Golden City. It made me sick, actually. I hated sitting at this table because I knew that Lea had favored this place over every other town. Trust me; it looked like no one here was starving. I thought of Sake and Ellena. They were starving. Maybe Sake's last meal was with me, and maybe she would go a few more days without food. Hopefully not, but, when you live in poverty you lose those luxuries.

I looked up at the sky. I saw a bird gently gliding along. "Hey… Is that Champ?" I pointed to the bird.

Rowan chuckled. "Yes that is. I would know that crafty bird anywhere. He's just up there having a good time, isn't he?"

I nodded. I decided it was now or never to talk to Rowan about Lea, since he was leaving as soon as I have my interview. "Rowan?" I looked at the older man.

"Yes?"

"What do you think about Lea?" I know I couldn't be blunter, but what else was I supposed to say?

"Champion Lea?" I nodded. He thought for a moment. "Well, I think my thoughts on him are extremely bias, Miss Cynthia."

"Does that mean you do not like him, or you do like him?" I scooted to the end of my seat, ready for him to feed me things that I could spit on Ember.

"I do not like his _decisions_, I have nothing against _him. _I think Pokémon should be treated as partners or pets, not slaves." My respect for him rose. Just above 'Oldie Von Quack' as a guard called him earlier. Now it's resting at about 'Fake Professor.'

"Well I do not care for him in any way." I shrugged. "He's an unfair person and he is a horrible person." I said emotionlessly.

"I wouldn't go that far. He's made mistakes, haven't we all?"

"But he's the champion, people depend on him. People are going into starvation. People who aren't in the Golden Cities, I mean. People in Celestic. Sometime we go to bed hungry. I'm sure you have, too. Or do you get funds from Lea, too?"

He blinked. He processed my rant. "Yes, people are starving. I do go to bed hungry sometime, and no, I don't have any funds coming in." I expected him to add 'from Lea' to the end of that, but he stopped.

"You know, other regions are doing fine. They are normal. You know why? Because they don't have Lea as a champion. Lea has ruined everything here. Allowing non-vegetarianism, creating the Golden Cities, favoring towns over others, forcing people to work and everything else he has done." I ranted.

"I don't think its Lea's fault Sinnoh has become this way." Rowan said.

"Then why are we like this, Rowan? Why are we in ruins? Except for here, obviously. Why?"

"I have a theory." He leaned forward, ready to lecture me. "You see, I have studied the history of the regions for many years when I was a lab tech, but recently I revisited those old books. I realized that we have record of explorers discovering, Johto, Hoenn, even Unova, and a few other far away regions, but we have no records of finding Kanto and Sinnoh. Can you believe that? Maybe it was so long ago that all history of those days has been lost in time, but still, it's possible that Sinnoh is the oldest region. Do you know what that means? That means that of course we would be the first ones to go into ruins. Correct? I think so! Also, in an old book that's located in Canalave, it is said that most of the planet was swallowed up by water. That's why the world is made up of so much water and the regions are all, mostly, large islands. Can you imagine? Being swallowed up by water! I would think that would knock out most of the population of the world." He leaned back on his chair.

"That makes sense." I said. "But, still, we need a champion who can line everything back up. And Lea isn't doing that."

He nodded. "Maybe. Has it ever occurred to you that Sinnoh cannot be helped?"

I drew my eyebrows together and stared at him. "No. Sinnoh can be helped. It would take a lot of work…"

"More than a lot of work. The person who even tries to become Champion would have to bring it out of the odd financial distress. And no champion, at least recently in Sinnoh, has ever made the financial problems one hundred percent."

"What about Annie?" I asked. "She seemed like a good champion."

"Annie was good, temporarily. I couldn't see her lasting. Not only because of her Pokémon, just because of the way she had run things. When Annie left the League, the financial problems had started increasing." Our waters and muffins came. But all of a sudden I wasn't hungry.

"In what way? Did she create the Golden Cities?"

"No, she didn't. But, because she was from Eterna, she was giving them a good load of money. Eterna was just like Celestic a long time ago. Except in the middle of the forest. Eterna Forest used to be Eterna, don't you know. But then with the money they were getting in, they were able to chop half of the forest off and build a nice town. They would have been even greater if Annie hadn't had been beaten by Lea. Eterna would have been a Golden City." He took a bite of his muffin. "Almost all champions have done this. They contribute to their hometown. That's why I think Sinnoh is better off having temporary champions. Maybe for a year. And then another one comes in. You see what I mean, Cynthia?"

I did. He meant that all champions make that mistake, and someone needs to just level it out completely. _If I become the champion, I need to not favorite Celestic. _I thought.

I took a bite of my muffin and drank some water. I really was starving. I ate my muffin quickly and gulped my drink. After we finished eating Rowan paid for my breakfast and we started walking into the city.

"I need to write Grandmother." I said. "Do you know where the post office is?"

"I saw it yesterday, its right around the corner."

We walked to the post office. He walked in with me, which made me feel a little more comfortable. My last post office experience wasn't the best.

A lady walked up to me. She had on a yellow dress and way too much makeup. "Here you go." She said. She handed me a piece of paper and a pen. I quickly wrote a letter to Grandmother. I told her I was in Jubilife with Rowan and that I was on my way to becoming a trainer. I gave the note to the lady and she put it in a slot. With that, she walked away. That was the rudeness of the Golden City people. I shook my head and walked out.

We went towards the television studio. It was the biggest building I had ever seen. It was so tall and so large; a million people could fit in that building.

When we walked in it took my breath away. The floors were made of marble and stone ran up the wall. At the back of the room a small waterfall spouted out the wall and into an indoor pond. There was a huge desk with a few secretaries hastily writing things and talking to the few people standing around the desk.

All of a sudden, it hit me that I was about to start my journey. I turned to Rowan. "What's going to happen now?" I asked. My heart rate increased.

"What do you mean? You're going to be interviewed and become a trainer."

"But… But… Rowan, Gible isn't ready to battle yet! And she _hates me_!"

"No, she doesn't, and yes, she is ready. Level fourteen is a good level to battle Byron. Don't worry so much, Miss Cynthia. You'll have time to train, and even catch a Pokémon before your first battle. They'll be fair."

I scoffed. "Them? Fair? Please."

"I mean it." He said sternly. "Now, let's get to your interview." I nodded.

We walked to the desk. The lady there had just finished a conversation with someone else. I was surprised when she looked normal. Except for her unnaturally red hair.

"Can I help you?" She asked. I could detect the fake sweetness seeping between her fake smiles.

"Yes you can. This lady here would like a trainer interview." Rowan said.

The lady seemed surprised. "Really?"

"Yes. Is now a good time?"

"Perfect timing, actually." She stood up. "We'll postpone tonight's news a bit, and squeeze you in. Ready?"

I nodded. My throat had dried out. She led me to the weirdest thing I had ever laid eyes on. It was two metal doors that slid open, and revealed a small room. But when we walked in, the doors closed and the room started levitating up. I grabbed the handle bars behind me. "What is this?" I shrieked.

"It's an elevator." The red-haired woman said. She cocked her head at me. "You didn't know what this was?"

I shook my head. "No! Why are we in one?"

"It's quicker than stairs." I heard a faint 'ding.' "Here we are." The doors slid open and I stepped out unsteadily.

The room we walked into was a big studio. There was an overstuffed couch and an office chair. I recognized the area. That was the interview chairs.

A group of people ran over to us. The lady quickly explained that I had an interview. The group approached me.

"Hello there, we'll be prepping you for the televised interview. I'm Constance. This is the studio team. We're not sure when Maxina will arrive though. But, until then, come with us." _Constance? Maxina? Uhg, the names of these weirdoes. _I thought. She led me into a large room. There was a large mirror and a table and chair. She sat me on the chair and grabbed a few items off the table. Two women, both a few years older than me, started brushing through my hair. Constance started commanding them things, but I didn't really understand. She would point to a section of my hair and say stuff like 'twist this then braid and clip and make it flow down like this and curl the ends.' She started examining my face as she barked commands to them.

"Now, once after you get you prepped you're going to go straight to your interview, okay? Maxina will be one of your two interviewers. You'll have simple questions. Just have a clear head and don't say anything stupid, okay? I'll be right back to do your makeup. I have to go get your outfit." She scurried away. I looked in the mirror at myself. My hair was being transformed by the two ladies. One of the women was a brunet who wore little to no clothes. She had on the shortest dress I had ever seen. The other woman had blue hair in a pixie cut. She wore all black with black eye shadow and lipstick to match.

Constance came back in with a big, orange dress in her hands. "Look at this gem I found!" She held it up so we could see. The two ladies doing my hair squealed in their Golden City accent at the dress, but I was silent. The dress was awful.

"Do I have to wear that?" I asked.

"What? Little Miss No-Color-Who-Only-Wears-Black-And-White is scared of orange?"

I glared at her. "It's way too big and puffy."

She rolled her eyes. "I'll be back." She stomped out of the room. She came back in with a long, slim blue dress. "You're wearing this Missy. It's perfect and goes with your eyes. We won't even have to use contacts." She smiled happily. Her Golden accent was at its finest in the first sentence. '_You're vering zis, Mizzay.' _It was so fake it stung.

She put the dress on a rack and came back over to me. "Now about your face…" She grabbed some makeup and started rubbing creams and brushing powders on my face. I was scared. I didn't want to look like one of these Golden City ladies. Constance was blocking my view of the mirror, so I couldn't even see myself.

I zoned out as the three women around me made comments about me like I wasn't even there. "Her skin tone is like paste." One said. "Her hair is so _thick. _We should do something to make it silkier." I heard a comment as one of the girls twirled a brush around my hair. "Such great color. Is this natural?"

"Of course it is, what else would it be?" I snapped. A wig? Hair dye?

They squealed with delight. I did have a voice. They started asking me questions. "Where are you from?" "What hair products do you use?" "Don't you just love being in a Golden City?" But I didn't answer these. Why would I? They were pointless. These people were strangers. I would keep it that way.

They continued twirling things around my hair and making comments. I didn't listen to them. I tuned out. I had learned how to from my years in Celestic. Thoughts of my tiny cabin with the clear sapphire pond and Jamie and Ember stumbled through my thoughts. I smiled. What if they saw me like _this_? No one really used cosmetics at home. Maybe Bianca. But before she moved back to Celestic she said she lived in the 'city.' She could have lived in the Golden Cities. Or Eterna, Sunyshore, or anywhere else that's considered a city. Makeup was hard to come by at home. The shop owners did have a few 'luxuries' that we didn't have. Lilliana wore glasses. Bianca had some makeup and nicer clothes. Clarice had toys that the other kids couldn't dream about having. In all of that, the Sketchits stayed humble. That doesn't mean they're rich. They just could have that stuff.

The torture continued for another hour. Finally, Constance moved away from my face and the two behind me stopped working on my hair.

I stood up and looked at myself in the mirror. My hair was curled and placed on the top of my head. A braid wrapped around the side of my head. It didn't look bad, actually. My face wasn't horrific, either. It was re-shaded with rouge and creams. My lips were extra pink, but that was all.

"Don't you love it? Even spending such a short time with you I knew that you would be happy about the little makeup thing. It goes with your plane dress, too. Ready to put it on?" Constance asked.

I nodded. I stripped and quickly put on the dress. I had to mind my elbow, which was still sensitive. I didn't even look in the mirror. Honestly, I didn't want to look. Being in a dress was bad enough.

I walked back out to the studio room. Rowan wasn't there. I guessed he left. I shrugged, it didn't matter. Constance led me to the overstuffed sofa and sat me down. "Maxina will be here shortly. I hope you're ready." Her voice was extra high-pitched now.

I sat there for a few moments after Constance left. Then, a girl in a large pink dress and outrageous pink curls came trotting into the room. "I'm here!" She announced. A large group of people flocked her. Constance applied a bit of makeup to her already shaded face and she came over to her.

"Hello, hello! I'm Maxina. You are?" Her accent was insane. Her voice so high-itched she basically sang with everything she said. She held her hand out to me.

"I'm Cynthia Everheart." I didn't shake her hand. She waited a moment before her grin disappeared and she sat next to me.

A man, one a recognized from the news, came and sat in the office chair. "Are you ladies ready?" He asked. The male Golden accent was just a smooth voice with some prolonging of letters. Like the 's' for instance, it came out a hiss.

I nodded.

"Oh most certainly." Maxina said. Her perkiness gave me a headache.

Cameramen circled around us. One man came over to the set. "Ready in three, two, one."

"Hello there everyone, thanks for tuning in I'm Steven here with the one and only Maxina and, you guessed it, a trainer here for her interview." He looked at me. "Now, tell everyone your name."

"I'm Cynthia Everheart." I smashed my lips together and smiled.

"Where are you from, Cynthia?"

"Celestic."

"Oh wow, quite a ways away." He commented. "Did it take long to get here?"

"Yes it took a while." I smiled more sweetly. "But it was worth it."

"Oh, yes I bet it is." Steven said.

"Are you excited about becoming a trainer?" Maxina asked.

"Of course!" I lied. Now I had fake perkiness. "I've really always wanted something to do with Pokémon, and I thought it was time to become a trainer." I did my best fake girly giggle. It didn't sound too good, but luckily Steven moved right along.

"So do you have anyone rooting for you in Celestic?" Maxina asked.

"Yes, my grandmother and friends." I answered.

"Want to say anything to them before we leave?" Steven added.

"Actually, yes, I would." I turned toward one of the cameras. "Friends and family, I will make you proud."

"And with that, goodnight Sinnoh!" Steven smiled before the man yelled 'cut.'

"You're a natural, Celia." Maxina said as she stood up from the couch.

"_Cynthia._" I corrected. I got up and walked over to Constance. "What now?" I asked.

"You get to stay in one of the luxury rooms for the night, and then in the morning I'll talk to you about your first gym battle in Oreburgh."

"About that, will you guys follow me to every gym?" I asked as we walked back into the dressing room.

"Oh no, just to gym number one. We have to take you there by underground train, since you can't get there any other, _safe_, way." I loved how she added the 'safe' there.

I nodded. _Good. I already can't stand these people. _ I changed back into my clothes and grabbed my bag. Constance took my up another level in the elevator and escorted me to my room. She opened the door and led me in.

The room was as big as my house. A huge bed, a kitchen area and a living room.

"Alright, here you are. In the bathroom there's a tray of shampoos, bath beads, soaps and things. Someone will bring you dinner in a bit and tomorrow morning I'll be here to wake you up. Would you like anything now?"

"Maybe a pitcher of cold water." I said. She nodded and closed the door. I explored. The living area had a bunch of potted, fake, plants. I scoffed at them. "Too rich to get something real, I see." I murmured.

I walked into the bathroom and took a quick shower using one of the hair lotions. It made my hair very soft and it smelled very woody. After, I sat on the sofa and turned on the huge flat screen television. While I was showering my water came. I poured myself a glass. The news had just come back on from a commercial. Nothing interesting. Just talking about weird whether habits on the other side of Sinnoh. I zoned out, maybe even fell asleep on the large sofa. A knock on the door made me jump.

I walked across the room and opened the door. Rowan was standing there. "Hello." He greeted.

"Hi." I made a gesture telling him to come in. He didn't.

"I wanted to bring you something before you started challenging gyms and such." The weird pouch that he tried to hide from me was in his hand. "And before I left back to Sandgem. I believe that, if Winnie was around, he would help you catch Pokémon and teach you more and does all that stuff. I feel as though I owe him something… I owe _you_ something. So, as a parting gift, this is yours." He handed the giant pouch to me. I took it from him. It was surprisingly heavy. I looked inside. I was stunned.

I looked up at him. "Why?" I asked. _Why did he give me this? Why does he owe me? _I thought.

He sighed. "Winnie would, right? It's not much… It will take a while for it to hatch, and then it will be level one. Easy to get up to about, I'd say, level ten before it actually gets difficult. But a Pokémon is a Pokémon nonetheless."

I nodded. "Thanks. This means a lot to me. I'm going to have to catch a Pokémon tomorrow. Any tips?" I just asked so I wouldn't seem too much like a jerk.

"Make sure you ask to catch one here. In Oreburgh you'll only catch a Geodude or some other weak Pokémon. A water type would do you great, do you have a fishing pole? Maybe you could catch a Magikarp. Anything will do, really. When you train, make sure you work on Sand-Attack and Dragon Rage. Okay?"

"Sounds good." I said. Even though I didn't have a fishing pole.

"Alright, goodbye, Miss Cynthia." He smiled thinly.

"Goodbye Rowan."

He disappeared down the hallway and I closed the door. I pulled out the Pokémon egg and smiled at it. "Well, Little Egg, what are you hiding in there?" I put it back in the pouch and nestled it on the couch. I relaxed back in the overstuffed cushions. The news had gone off, but something news related played all the time. Now, slow music played in the background and all the news articles rolled down the screen.

I read some aloud. "Lea announces Sunyshore's black trade market has been taken care of. Lea announces that the attackers have been taken care of. Lea announces that the Pikachu attack in Pastoria is nothing to worry about. Lea announces…" And I went on. Nothing interesting.

* * *

><p>I laid awake in my bed for what felt like hours. My heart was pounding against my ribcage. Attendants had brought up dinner, but I was turned away fast when something on the tray caught my eye. It was brown, stringy and covered in sauce. I normally wasn't picky about what I ate, but I got a bad feeling about this. I studied it as it twirled around my fork. Then, with a gasp, I threw the fork across the giant room. It was Pokémon meat.<p>

My stomach churned and I curled up in my huge bed and cried. I never really cried about things, and it wasn't really the meat that I was crying over, it was just everything. Where was I? Jubilife. I cringed at the word. I became very angry at the thought of it.

Hot tears spilled over my eyelids and unto my pillow. Even though I was doing what I thought I wanted, I wasn't happy. I don't know what brought on this sudden outburst, considering that I had shut my emotions away and never, ever wanted to see them again.

My life was upside down, and it would never be the same. My life would be full-force starting the next day. The thing is... did I have what it takes to be the champion? Rowan himself said that he thinks champions should be temporary. The strange thought of 'would Lea be a better than I?' Crawled into my thoughts. I actually laughed. Gible would be a better champion then him. A smile tugged on my lips as I relaxed in my bed. A few last tears rolled past my lips.

Still, I was in a weird place. I didn't have a solution for my problem other than store my emotions in a faraway place forevermore. So I did. I stuck them away and lied to myself (I thought of myself as a good liar) until my exhaustion took me away.


	8. Secrets

_Chapter Seven: Secrets_

_With Every Legend, There's a Beginning _

"Here we are." Constance said. We walked into a field outside of Jubilife to catch a Pokémon. "Since you _had_ to stay here to catch one…" She muttered. I rolled my eyes. I was getting more and more annoyed with her since I spent the morning with her.

I walked around the tall grass and she stood back. Probably scared of Pokémon. I walked further and further until I heard something. I froze. My mouth curled up into a smile. _I see you. _It was a small, brown Pokémon. I recognized it off of a furniture logo. _Which one… Oh! 'Bidoof and Company Furniture.' Bidoof? Let's see what you're made of. _The Pokémon was turned away from me, chewing on a rock. I shrugged. _At least it's making its teeth sharper. _I had Gible's Pokéball in my hand, and the new unused one hooked to the belt loop of my jeans. "Go, Gible." My voice sounded unsure. Which I was. Where was Ellena when I needed her?

I took a deep breath and focused my eyes and brain. "Tackle, now." I had the Bidoof's attention. It had crouched down and lifted its upper lip more, showing how long and big its two front teeth were. Gible hesitated, but then obeyed. She jumped into the air and landed on the Bidoof. She squished the Pokémon and it was crying and whining. The Bidoof stood up and knocked Gible down, showing strength and toughness. Bidoof then let out a strong Growl. It pinched my ears a bit because it was so high-pitched, and I knew Gible was affected.

She kept her facial expression clean. No wince. I smiled. "Sand-Attack." Might as well practice while we're here. Gible stood still and squinted. Then coughed. I smacked my hand to my forehead. "Sand-Attack." I commanded again. My Pokémon glared at me before going into a coughing fit. No sand. The Bidoof pounced on the Gible and knocked it down. But Gible pushed the Bidoof back and snarled. "Dragon Rage." I was still unsure. Was I doing this right? I guess not.

Gible growled at me. "Dragon Rage!" I yelled. "Are you deaf?" Gible growled and I heard rumbles from her stomach. A little bit of purple came out of her mouth and spattered on the face of the foe. The Pokémon squealed. I grabbed the empty Pokéball and paused. _Okay, okay, I've seen it done enough, I can do it. _I threw it. It hit the squealing Pokémon and popped open. Light beams shot through it and covered the Bidoof. It started crawling away, but it turned into light and was sucked into the ball.

It laid on the ground shaking rapidly. "Come on come on." I muttered. Then, right on the button, a red light flashed. I smiled. "Yes!" I looked at Gible. She was giving me a weird look. I smiled at the Pokémon. She turned away and looked at the woods longingly. I watched her. Would she bolt? "Don't even try. I see an electric fence."

She looked over at me and noticed my stare. She growled. I put her back in her Pokéball.

I walked over to Constance, feeling proud of my accomplishment.

"Done already?" She was sitting on the paved path. I nodded. "Which one did you get?"

"A Bidoof." I answered. She started laughing.

"Seriously? No, you're kidding. Totally kidding." Her 'Golden' accent was at its high-pitch form.

"I'm not kidding!" I snapped. "What's wrong with my Pokémon?"

"Oh, oh nothing." She took deep breaths. "But you want to beat a gym with a, what Pokémon do you have? And a Bidoof? You _really_ don't know anything."

"It's none of _your_ business what Pokémon I have. And my Bidoof is tough. You should see it battling."

She chuckled then handed me another empty Pokéball. I debated on taking it. "Okay, whatever you say. But if you want _my_ help—"

"I don't." I snatched the ball and walked back into the field. "I'm going to catch another Pokémon and fight with my Bidoof. Care to watch?"

She said something I couldn't hear. I took it as swearing. I rolled my eyes. _Whatever. I have a great team. Hear that, Constance? A _great _team! _

I slowed my long strides and listened. Nothing. I stopped. Not a rustle of grass or leaves from the woods. I jumped when a Starly flew overhead. By the time I looked it was already gone. I walked in a different direction, one straight up Route 204.

I saw another Bidoof growl at me and take off. Then nothing.

I smiled when I heard something. I looked toward the sound. Something was moving on top of the strands of tall grass. _Grass moving? _I grabbed Bidoof's ball. The wild Pokémon approached me and jumped off of the grass. It had a bulb-like thing on the top of its head, and a very small body. _How did it even get on the top of the strands? _Then the green Pokémon answered my silent question by leaping into the air happily. For a bipedal Pokémon it was fast. It was just standing there. And I wasn't sure, but I thought it was _grinning._ I half-way rolled my eyes. Why would I want a Grass Type? But from my years of studying, Grass Types have an advantage to Rock Types. This Pokémon may come in handy.

"Okay then. Bidoof, do your thing." Bidoof came out of the ball with a huff. Then crouched low to the ground. "Growl." It obeyed. The green Pokémon recoiled, then came back with a weird move. It shrieked and bounced on its toes. It grew a bit taller and larger. I knew that move as 'Growth.'

"Tackle, Bidoof." My Pokémon (_My _Pokémon) jumped on the opponent. It looked strong, but really, it was weak. The other Pokémon moved swiftly out from under Bidoof and stared at it.

Then, Bidoof started screaming. A loud, rodent scream of hurt and discomfort. I knew what the Pokémon was doing. Using some sort of move that Grass Pokémon know. Drain-something, maybe?

Bidoof's wails stopped and it didn't move. I knew it fainted. _That's what I get for not healing a Pokémon after a battle. _I returned the Pokémon and, to my surprise, the little Grass Type didn't make any move of escape. I watched it for a second and it stood there happily. I grabbed the empty Pokéball and tossed it.

The ball enclosed the Pokémon safely and laid on the ground. It didn't shake at all. The light started blinking. I smiled and laughed. "Okay then Grass Type. You're strange, but you will do."

I walked back to Constance and told her that I caught a Grass Type. She didn't do anything but nod. We walked back through the white building and into Jubilife. It was raining.

"Oh great. They're wetting the city _now_? Yeesh. This is what I get for waking up early." It wasn't even that early.

"What do you mean 'wetting the city'?" I asked.

"They have this strange weather machine over the Golden Cities. They make it rain in the morning for, I don't know, something. Then they make it nice and hot through the rest of the day. Oh good, it's done."

We walked onto the street. It wasn't wet. "It's dry." I asked it half-like a question.

"Yeah, it does that. Scientific stuff. I don't give a flip about that. I'm more into, I don't know, makeup."

I sighed. _Oh help me. _We walked to the Center and I handed them my three Pokéball.

"Did you just catch these?" The nurse asked as she handed them off to a younger nurse.

"Only two. Why?"

"We can show you their genders and stats, if you like."

"Sure." I said.

I waited until they came back out. The nurse put them on a fluorescent, screen-like counter. Then, a hologram appeared above them.

"Come look." The nurse waved me over. I looked at the hologram. It said that my Bidoof was a boy and healthy and level eight. The other Pokémon was a Budew, Grass Type as I suspected. And also Poison. A level five girl. _Five? Uhg. _Oh well.

We walked back to the studio and I retrieved my bag and egg pouch. I didn't want anyone to know I had an egg, but I thought it was obvious with the pouch. Hopefully no one would care enough to ask.

Constance and I walked out of the studio and down a brick pathway. She said this would take us to our 'transportation.'

We made it to a small building. Well, small for Jubilife. It was probably the size of my house. I walked in to find only a staircase leading downward. "Constance, where are we?"

"The station. Downstairs is where the underground train takes off." She said.

"Underground train? Why can't we take a normal train there?" I asked. I only knew of trains from television and stories my Grandfather use to tell me about his father, the train conductor.

"Oh, you know there is no safe way to travel to Oreburgh. Don't worry so much, we'll be fine." She pulled me down the stairs and into an underground room. Maxina, Steven from the studio, and other people I recognized from Jubilife studio were all there. Doors on the train slid open and all of us piled in. Inside the train was a living room. Sofas lined the walls and coffee tables scattered around the area.

I blinked. Why did I get on a train with these people? Constance pushed me to a red sofa and sat me down. My hands instantly rubbed the fabric. It was smooth. "What is this?"

"Velvet." Maxina answered as she took her seat across the train. All the others went onto another cart or went to the back, leaving this end to the three of us. Maxina had changed into a normal black dress and had black hair in a pixie cut. "How long is the ride, anyways?" She asked.

"Just a mere two hours or so." Constance answered. Maxina started chirping about stuff in her perky way and I tuned out. She wasn't talking to me. Good.

Unfortunately, the chatter came my way. "Are you excited?" Constance asked me.

"About what?" I asked stupidly.

"Uh, becoming a trainer."

"Oh, yeah! Of course!" My fake perkiness was obvious to any human. Maybe that's why Maxina and Constance squealed.

"Good!" One of them sang.

"So how old are you, Carinthia?" Maxina asked.

"_Cynthia._" I corrected and rolled my eyes.

"Whatever."

"I'm thirteen."

She blinked. "You're a very strange thirteen-year-old."

"Whatever." I muttered. The conversation flowed back between Constance and Maxina. Thankfully. I zoned out.

Constance started talking about the studio and about that days morning news. At first they talked about food shortage. And by food shortage they meant meat shortages on Goldeen in their area. Then, they talked about the attack this morning. I quickly looked at Constance.

"What?" She asked me.

"Another attack?" I ran out of breath before I got the full word 'attack' out. Inside I was screaming: _Where? Where? Where? _

"Yeah, this morning in Pastoria." My heart slowed in relief.

"Oh."

"And Lea was _so_ upset about it." Maxina continued. "It's horrible when bad stuff happens! Especially when Lea gets all upset."

I almost gagged. I was about to say 'Why would you care?' But she's a 'celebrity' she needs to be on Lea's good side. So babying him is the way to go, I guess? But I didn't say that. I said "Maxina, why are you joining us?" She was a well-known trainer because she came from Hearthrome and was a contest champion. She gave up on gym number four. No one knows why. She probably doesn't know why. But I've seen her on TV; she's a 'role model.' That's why she attended the interview.

"Oh, because I want to see this battle in person and not from a TV somewhere. I normally go to all the first battles." She chirped. I nodded.

A while went by when I felt the train come to a stop. Everyone came back into the cart and exited. We were in another underground station. This time, people who worked down there weren't Golden City natives. They didn't have the Golden accent or apparel. We walked above ground. We weren't right in the town. We were on the other side of the electric fence. Guards stood there and nodded at us as they opened the gate and let us in. I felt like Miltank being herded by their master. Well, I guess we sort of had a master. Lea and his guards. They controlled enough.

We were on the other side of Oreburgh, the side I was not familiar with. I could see the top of the gym, but I couldn't see the forest where Sake and Ellena many times escaped into freedom. On this side there was another opening to the mine and another row of houses. All looking just like Sake and Ellena's. The Center was in front of us, and that's where everyone corralled into.

"Okay, Blondie." Constance said once Maxina, she and I walked into the Center. She said as though it was my name and didn't show any malice. I still rolled my eyes.

"_Cynthia._"

"I know." She put her hands on her hips and stared at me for a moment.

"What?"

"Just giving you a good look. I think this time me and my team will go with forest colors. Don't you agree, Maxina?" She looked at the girl.

"Yeah, yeah! And a simple outfit. She looks good in simple."

"Perfect! Alright, Cilia," I didn't correct her. "I know you've never been in Oreburgh before, so I'll give you the information. First off, don't talk to the locals. They're _rude. _Trust me. Don't waste your time. Secondly, the place is pretty dirty. Don't—just don't—Wear good shoes out there. The ground is like dust. It probably _is_ dust." She mused. She _knows_ I've never been in Oreburgh before, does she? "Got it? Good!" She didn't wait for my answer and walked off, leaving me with Maxina.

After a half hour of everyone getting their plan for me worked out, Constance approached me.

"Oh, Blondie! You must be so happy!" I mustered a smile. "Well, if you're ready let's start working with that." She pointed to my hair.

"Actually, I thought I could train first. I haven't trained with my Bidoof or Budew yet." I said.

Constance sighed then smiled. "Okay, we can train. I'll go with you." _Great. _I thought.

"Let's go." I said through my best fake smile. She led me back to the electric fence and the guard let us out. There was forest and tall grass in the distance. We walked into the woods and I began my training.

* * *

><p>After a long time of training, Constance walked into the forest yelling "Blondie, Blondie, come <em>on. <em>It's like, what, three? Four in the afternoon? You're wasting my life!" She scared off the Wurmple I was about to battle.

"Thanks, Constance." I murmured. I turned on my heels and found her quickly. She started snapping at me about taking _way too long _and things. I tuned out.

Training was progressive, I found out Bidoof has a strong Tackle. Budew uses Absorb well, which will come in handy. Gible was as stubborn as usual. She really hated me. But her Tackle has improved and she's fast when dodging. That's what matters. I wasn't sure what levels my Pokémon were, but I thought I could beat the gym easy enough.

We went to the Center and I healed my Pokémon. Maxina helped Constance quickly put some makeup on my face and dress me in a green and brown 'simple' outfit. Then, we went to the gym. The gym was on the backstreet, the street Ellena and Sake lived on. We entered the building. Jubilife cameramen flooded around. Steven had his microphone in hand ready to announce to Sinnoh that Cynthia Everheart is challenging Byron, the first gym leader.

The camera focused on the two of us. "Hello Sinnoh. This is Steven here with Sinnoh's newest challenger of the gyms, Cynthia!" He paused like he expected applause. He turned toward me. "Now, Cynthia, what feelings are you having now?" Fright, nervousness, nausea, a weird tug at my heart telling me this is wrong.

"Excitement, mostly." I answered. A lie, of course. "And anxiousness." That one was the truth.

"Do you have any strategies you want to share?" He asked. _No. None that I would like to share. _

"Well, I want to do my best and hope for the badge." Ember and Jamie just died of laughter.

"You heard it here first! This is Steven, reporting from Oreburgh, Sinnoh. Thanks everyone." The cameraman gave a thumbs-up and Steven removed his arm from on my shoulders. I took a deep breath. _Okay, this is it. Where is Byron? _I scanned the area. It wasn't a very large gym, in had the usual gym setup. It was definitely old and dusty. I saw my opponent across the arena. He was on-camera at the moment. Steven had his arm around his shoulders, too. Byron wasn't a clean-cut man. He had stubble across his chin and neck, and his hair was in a mess of spikes. If you looked at his eyes you would assume he was tired. He had bags under his eyes that looked like they sagged to his chin. Why was _he_ tired? He didn't work in the mine, he wasn't forced to work, and he probably had enough food.

Byron took his place on the other side of the gym. A young boy stood behind him and poked his head around his legs. I saw the resemblance, brown hair, the same set jaw. The only difference was the excitement in the child's eyes and the almost annoyance in Byron's.

"Let's do this." I whispered to myself.

"Hello, Cynthia, you dare challenge me, I see. A young girl like yourself? Hm." He grabbed a Pokéball from his belt.

I followed his lead. I didn't lug around my black bag, I left if with Constance, I had my three Pokéball hooked to my belt loops. I had Bidoof's ball in hand, ready to see what Byron had. He threw his ball first, and it popped open. It revealed a small, blue Pokémon. I was expecting a Geodude. Not this. It looked slightly muscular as it danced around. I knew it was a Pokémon popular for working. Byron caught the empty Pokéball swiftly as it fell back to him and smirked at me. I bit my lip.

"Bidoof, do your thing." I wanted to smack my forehead. _You sound real confident, Cynthia. _I thought I heard a slight laugh.

"Machop, Focus Energy." Byron commanded. Confidence boomed through his voice and repelled off the walls and into my ear. It slipped in and started ringing. Soon it felt like poison.

It had started. I couldn't avoid it. Machop started dancing again. It breathed heavily with its eyes closed. "Bidoof," I yelled. My voice so unsure it hurt. "Growl." Bidoof growled rodent-like at the foe, which did nothing in return.

"Low Kick." Machop ran toward my Pokémon. It leapt into the air and came down on Bidoof.

Bidoof was knocked to his side and slid to my feet. I cringed. This wouldn't go well. "Tackle." I commanded. Bidoof shook as he stood, but then snarled as it ran to the opponent. He tackled it. Oh, it was beautiful. Machop's head collided with the ground and it shrieked. It pushed Bidoof off of it and jumped up in one motion.

"Karate Chop." Byron yelled. The smirk still on his face, crammed between a few layers of stubble. Machop reached its long arm to my Pokémon, who was still lying on the ground, and hit it hard. Bidoof winced and growled. He wasn't going to make it. If he survived that move, he wouldn't the next.

"Tackle again, Bidoof. You can do it!" I encouraged. Bidoof stood weakly, legs trembling, and snarled at the foe. It stood there, bouncing on its toes, challenging. Bidoof lunged and knocked the Pokémon down quickly. Machop fell down and moaned. "Tackle, hard, now!" I yelled, my trainer instincts kicking in, in full-gear. Bidoof weakly obeyed again.

Machop stood up with the same weakness of my Pokémon. They growled and circled each other. It wasn't until Byron made a command that I realized _I _was battling, not watching a fight on television like I did many times before.

Low Kick again, I assumed. Since Machop leapt into the air and its foot collided with my Pokémon's head. Bidoof fell to the ground and cringed, its body twitching. His eyelids mashed together, and I knew he slipped into a deep sleep. I returned him. "Good job, Bidoof." I whispered into the ball, sincerely believing he could hear me.

Byron kept his smug smirk on. I focused my eyes on him and the battle. _Machop, okay, I know that Bidoof's moves hardly did anything for him. Normal moves do nothing. I don't want to bring out Gible until I have to, so I guess Grass Type is the way to go. _I grabbed Budew's ball. I knew which one was which, Gible's was much older and had some of the white paint chipped off, and Budew's was still glossy and smelled new.

I let out my level five Grass Type. She cooed happily and awaited a command. But I couldn't say a command before Byron.

"Karate Chop, Machop." Byron shouted. His Pokémon obeyed, of course, and Budew shrieked. I knew more than half of her life had seeped away.

"Absorb, now." I commanded. She got up weakly and stared into Machop's eyes. It slumped to the ground and grabbed its head. It shrieked and cried. Budew stopped, and Machop laid on the ground. Its eyes were still plastered on my Pokémon. Was it getting up?

"Machop, Focus Energy." The Pokémon didn't move. Its eyes flicked to its trainer, and then closed.

I smiled. No, grinned. But Byron still looked smug. He grabbed another Pokéball. "Abra, win for me!" He threw the ball into the air. A small yellow Pokémon materialized from the light beams. It had a long nose and was bipedal. It looked like it had just awoken from a long sleep. It sat on the ground silently with its eyes trained on me.

"Budew, Absorb." I yelled. My Grass Type obeyed. The life was drained from the foes body and Budew breathed it in like the sweetest scent. I was waiting for Byron to command, but when he hesitated I jumped in. "Run in and use Absorb." Budew took off, a mix between hopping and running, and stood in front of the sleepy Abra. She concentrated.

"Teleport, now." The foe disappeared and reappeared behind Budew.

"Turn around!" I yelled.

"Flash."Byron yelled just as I did. Budew spun around quickly and met Abra, who used the move Flash. Budew looked stunned and distant for a moment, but returned quickly.

"Absorb." My Pokémon focused, and the Abra didn't flinch. Instead Budew fell over. "What just happened?" I shouted. I looked at Byron. Too smug.

"I ruined your weak Pokémon's accuracy. She hit herself instead. You shouldn't play with weak Pokémon, Cynthia."

A growl rumbled in my throat. "I don't have weak Pokémon!" I boomed. I returned Budew. "Go Gible!" I threw her ball into the air. She came out and landed on the ground perfectly. I smiled. "Tackle, and don't hold back." Gible ran to the opponent and pounced on him. She pushed the small Abra to the ground and growled.

"Teleport, Abra!" Abra disappeared under Gible. She collided with the ground and jumped up fiercely. Abra appeared back in his place.

"Sand-Attack." I snapped. Gible opened her mouth wide, and some sand splattered unto Abra's face. "Tackle." Abra couldn't Teleport if he couldn't see. Gible tackled him, and Abra hit the ground and squeaked. "Get off, now." But Gible didn't move. She had Abra pinned down. "Move!" I yelled at her. But she didn't.

"Teleport." Byron yelled. Abra did, and Gible's face met the ground again.

"Listen to me!" I yelled at Gible. She turned and growled at me. "Dragon Rage." My voice was as unsure as ever. Gible glared at me. She turned to Abra and opened her mouth. Nothing.

"Flash." _Oh great. _

"Gible, Tackle." She jumped and Tackled the foe before it could use a move. It hit the ground. This time much harder. _Critical Hit? Maybe. _I thought. Abra moaned and curled into a ball. It was shaking hard. It had fainted. Gible returned to her place in front of me and Byron returned his Pokémon. I knew he had one more because of the Pokéball on his belt. The child, his child, was sitting behind him, watching everything with eager eyes.

"Geodude, go!" He threw the ball. A Geodude came out. It growled at Gible and she growled back.

"Sand-Attack." I commanded. Gible spit an inch of sand on the foe, he instantly wiped it off. "Tackle!" I added. Gible tackled the Rock Type. Geodude pushed her away like she was nothing.

"Rock Polish, Geo." Byron yelled. Geodude focused. His bodies become shiny somehow. I knew there was a deeper meaning to the move, and I was ready for it.

"Tackle." Gible ran to the foe and jumped toward it.

"Dodge." Byron countered. Geodude quickly moved out of the way. I was surprised at this speed. "Tackle." Geodude flung his body with his hands on Gible and knocked her to the ground. She growled and stood up, causing the rival to fall to the ground. He recovered quickly.

"Gible, use Sand-Attack as best you can." I shouted. Gible focused, her stomach rumbled, and she spewed some sand on Geodude. I didn't wait to see what he would do. "Tackle, now!" Gible pounced. She landed on the foe and pushed him down. He winced as his rock body collided with the arena floor. Gible jumped off and returned to her place.

Geodude pushed his body up with his hands and growled. "Tackle." He Tackled Gible. Again, his speed surprising. Gible fell to the ground and pushed the opponent away. She then pounced on Geodude and Tackled him. For once, I was happy she was stubborn, because Geodude didn't get back up.

Cheers rose from the group of people in the room, except from Byron's son. We returned our Pokémon and met on the middle of the battlefield. He extended his hand.

"Well done, Newbie." He said it like he was forced to.

I smirked and grabbed his hand. "Thanks. You're not so bad yourself."

Byron reached into his sweatshirt pocket and pulled out something odd. It was a piece of flat charcoal with a flat, silver plate on the front. It read: 'Just the beginning…' I smiled. It was.

* * *

><p>Everyone left after a quick interview with Byron, who seemed very calm even though he lost. We made it back to the Center, which had been transformed into a Jubilife hotel, and I healed my Pokémon. Apparently, the Center had a basement with rooms for the Golden City people only. So we were in luck.<p>

I walked downstairs and found my assigned room. I walked in. It was small, there was a dresser and two beds in the corner. It was a good size for me. _I wonder how Golden City people will like this. _I thought and laughed. I wasn't planning on sleeping here, I was going to slip out overnight and visit with Ellena and come back before breakfast. I left the door to my room ajar and Maxina skipped in. She stopped and glared at the room.

"How _tiny._" She grimaced.

I was laughing inside. "Yes, it is small." I put my bag, egg pouch included, on one of the beds and looked back at Maxina. She had two large suitcases with her and had set them on the other bed. My heart jumped and my breath stopped in my throat.

"Where are you sleeping, Maxina?" I asked.

"What do you mean _sleeping_?" I blinked at her. _Stupid?_

"You know, the thing you're doing when you're dreaming of pink roses and boys and Butterfree." I snapped.

"I _know_ what sleeping is." She scoffed. "I'm your roommate, Roommate!"

I rolled my eyes. "Joy." I murmured inaudibly. _How am I going to get out now? _

"Dinner." Someone yelled in the hall. I shot a quick glance at Maxina, who looked like she was pouting over something, and left the room.

For dinner more meat was served. I didn't touch it. They told me it was Starly. Why would I eat that?

To my luck they also gave me a plate as big as my head of greens and a bowl of mixed berries. While eating I looked around the huge, makeshift table made up of picnic tables and saw all the food. I kept thinking that all of Oreburgh could be fed by my plate. I only ate half my meal, not counting the meat, because of all the food. Someone took my plate and threw the perfect, fresh, delicious greens in the trash. I winced.

After a very boring dinner I went back to my room. Maxina came back in after a while. She laid on her bed a few feet away. I asked her if she was ready for me to turn the light off, she nodded, so I did.

I stayed up for a while. I was very still for and listened carefully. Maxina started snoring a bit and I moved to my side so I could see her. She was sleeping. I stood up, still fully clothed and in my shoes, and walked to the door. I opened it and it creaked. Loud. I froze and peered at her bed. _Why did I pick the bed farthest away from the door? _Maxina slightly moved but made no indication of consciousness. Would she even care if I was out? I shrugged.

I slipped out and shut the door. The hallway was carpeted and my footsteps were well muffled. I was silently thankful. Although, I thought my escape was just _too_ easy.

I got out of the Center and looked around. There was my problem: Guards. I saw one leaned up against the electric fence and one down the street. I froze. The guard at the fence should have seen me by now, why wasn't he pursuing? I squinted into the night air. I saw his chin was pressed against his chest. Sleeping. I looked back down the road. The guard wasn't facing my direction, but it was only a matter of seconds until he would turn his head. I tip-toed around the Center and in an alleyway.

I got halfway down it until I gasped. Another guard, asleep in this alley. My eyes were huge as I looked at him. "Great protection, Lea." I muttered. I stepped around him and out of the alley. I saw the second entrance to the mine and knew where I was. It wasn't dark enough for me to be completely concealed and safe from the lurking, or sleeping, guards. I peered onto the street. A guard was only a foot or two away from me. He was staring at something in the distance, but he was definitely awake. _Think, think Cynthia! _I looked behind me. _This guard could wake up anytime, I don't know if it's safe to go back or not. What do I do? _I starred at the sleeping guy. I smirked. _I know. _

I bent down next to him. I shook his shoulder. He started to stir. I stood up and stepped behind him. I hesitated, but then kicked him. I turned around and darted for the end of the alley.

"Hey!" I heard him yell. After I got out of the alleyway, the sleeping fence guard was still snoozing, and the guard at the end of the street had run around the corner to see the commotion. I peeked back into the alley. Two men we around the guard.

"What happened?" One said. They were all facing away from me. I hoped that that meant the guard I kicked didn't see me. I ran to the street, which was now guard-free, and found my way from the mine entrance to Ellena's street. No guard. _Of course, it's the backstreet. _I thought. I went up to one of the doors and prayed that it was hers. I knocked slightly.

I heard unsure footsteps. They paused at the door before cracking it. Then, it swung open. Esmeralda. She didn't look like she was sleeping. She smiled at me uncertainly, and then motioned for me to come in. I did. She closed the door. It creaked slightly.

Little Essie sat up in her bed. She looked much worse from the last time I saw her. Which was only days ago, right? Her eyelids hung over her brown eyes and dark circles lingered underneath them. She was skinnier, if that was possible. I immediately worried about her. I walked to her bedside pushed some of her springy curls from her sweaty forehead like I did for Clarice all the time. Essie had a fever, a bad one.

"Cynthia, what are you doing back so soon?" Esmeralda cocked her head at me.

"Well, I just beat the gym here." I smiled brightly.

She matched my smile. "Good." Her voice was full of uncertainty. "How have you been?" She sat next to Essie.

"Fine. The question is, however, how have _you _been?" I looked around the room. "And where's Ellena? How is she? Can she hear?" All the questions spilled out of my mouth and Esmeralda gave me a weird look.

"Everything's been fine. It's been hard, of course…" She paused and looked at Essie. "But we've been fine, haven't we?" The young girl nodded and laid back down. "And Ellena, well, don't you know?" She cocked her head at me again.

"No I don't know. How would I? I have been in Sandgem and Jubilife. What am I supposed to know?" When I was with Esmeralda, Sake or Ellena, I felt as though there was something that they weren't telling me. A secret of some sort that was implied in what they said, like I should know what they were talking about. A code of sorts.

"That Ellena is considered hard-of-hearing." She said quickly. "Mostly deaf. She can hear—understand, rather, what you're saying. She hears better on her left side. Sake says she's lost her hearing in that ear and that's her only hard-of-hearing problem. But I think differently. Sake also says it can clear up in time, that she can regain her hearing. I hope she's right." She sighed.

"Where is she, Esmeralda?" My voice was more forceful than it was supposed to be.

"She's out with Sake, Cynthia." There it was, the implied tone. The secret. The code.

But I didn't pry. She could be doing anything. Gathering food. At night it's probably safer to escape, since there are absolutely no guards on her road at night. But the thought still whispered in my ear. _Secret, secret, secret. _I shook my head. _What is there to hide? _I thought. But my answer came too quickly. _Everything. _

Esmeralda rubbed Essie's arm. I could tell Essie was fighting to slip into unconsciousness, to let the dreams of sleep take her away from her pain, but it never came.

"Are you hungry? I have some berries. They're a little rotten, but you know, its food." She offered in a whisper. I shook my head and though of the food being put in the trash. They throw away fresh greens, Esmeralda eats rotten foods. Does that really make sense?

"Are you tired? You look tired. You can sleep here if you like."

Exhaustion was heavy on me. I knew I would be awake before everyone else back at the Center and I knew it was safe to sleep here. I would be more comfortable here than in the Center anyways. I nodded and Esmeralda stood and walked to the other bed at the head of Essie's. She opened the blanket and invited me in. I crawled in and took off my shoes. I rubbed my eyes and freed all the makeup off of my face. _Thank goodness. I look like me again. Maybe that was the reason for Esmeralda's weirdness. _I agreed with myself and brought the blankets up to my chin. I ignored everything that was screaming at me, like the danger of not sleeping at the Center. I could expose Ellena and Sake if they wake up before me or if a guard catches me. But no. I ignored it. I was stupid.

* * *

><p>I heard a creak of my bathroom door. Grandmother's awake. I tried to roll over, but I couldn't, I was way too tired. Grandmother would be mad if I slept any later though, soon I would hear her bustling in the kitchen. If I wasn't awake by breakfast, Grandmother would come in.<p>

"Cynthia," She would say. "You need to wake up. Half of the morning is gone. Do you want to waste it in another life? The life of dreams? Haven't you been there long enough?" I could hear the joking in her voice, but she was also serious. I had never slept past that point.

I swore it was way too early to be awake. It was early for Grandmother. Or maybe I had gone to bed late last night. What did I do last night? I had no recollection of the day before. _How long had I slept? _I thought. Then I heard the door creak again. This time louder. Then I heard a wispy voice of a child. _Clarice? What are you doing here so early? _I tried to say, but my mouth couldn't find the words.

"Ellie!" It said. Then a 'shh' followed. I didn't recognize that voice. Bianca, maybe? Then another voice followed. I couldn't make out what it said.

Then it hit me. I knew where I was. I was in Esmeralda's house. My eyelids opened less than halfway. I was looking at the wall. The whispers were behind me. Everything was foggy.

"I thought she was with you, Ellena!" Esmeralda's quickened whisper. "She said she had been in Sandgem and Jubilife and she beat the _gym, _I thought she was lying but I wasn't sure."

"What?" Ellena's voice. It didn't sound fully Ellena. "Did you tell her anything, Mom?"

"No! I'm not that stupid."

"She's a _trainer, _not one of us. She doesn't know anything." Ellena said.

"Then how did she get here! Why would you trust her! What was Hilbert's letter about!" Esmeralda sounded a bit livid.

"Es, calm down." Sake said gently. "I'm not sure what it was all about, we stopped in at Solaceon on our way back from Pastoria, Hilbert said she's not one of us, but needed to see Pete. He said she needed to be trusted and we should help her and that she _should_ join us, but I told her no one else needed to be involved. Pete wouldn't want anyone else involved." Everyone became silent. _Should I let them know I'm awake and heard everything?_ I considered this, until Ellena spoke again.

"So this still needs to be a secret. We can't tell Cynthia."

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Note: Hello readers. Again, if you've been paying attention you should know the whole thing. But if not, it's coming out little by little. How'd you guys like the gym battle? If felt so good to write a battle again. I'm excited for battles to come! <strong>

**Well... It was sort of a cliffhanger ending... Heh. I tried. **

**Thanks for reading! It means _so much _to me. **


	9. Hope

_Chapter Eight: Hope_

_With Every Legend, There's a Beginning _

Cold air covered me. I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself. I was out in Oreburgh, hiding in an alleyway, afraid of guards. _What was I thinking? _I thought. _Why was I so stupid! _I groaned. Ever since I awoke this morning, I was dazed. Mainly because I wasn't sure if the conversation I heard last night was real or not, and the fact that I was so set on getting to Ellena's house. The day before when I thought of escape, and when I _did_ escaped, I wasn't _me. _My head was in a different place, like I was watching myself on TV. I had such a powerful draw to get to Ellena's. I probably wouldn't have been able to sleep if I stayed in the Center. It was just weird.

It reminded me of the whispers with Sake in the mine. Except different. It was _me. _To think about it, it made me overwhelmed. Like something I couldn't comprehend. That bothered me.

I heard footsteps. I jumped and spun around toward the noise. _Great! Just great! _I started walking backward. I heard a cough, it was close. I turned around and starting in a sprint for the end of the alley. At the end, I poked my head out and looked around. Three guards. One at the fence in front of me, one to the left and one to the right. I looked over my shoulder, no guard. He must have passed the alley without looking.

But that still left these guards. I should have asked for Esmeralda's advice about leaving, but I was too heated to even talk to her. Luckily, she and Essie were asleep. Ellena must have gone to Sake's. Either that or off on another 'secret adventure that Cynthia can't know about.'

There were no sleeping guards this time, and these guys weren't moving. The fence guard was facing away, but he could probably still hear me if I walked. I could see the Center, it was _right there. _I just needed to get there. But how? How?

I slapped my hand to my forehead and felt like crying. I was shivering in this cold air. It was probably five or six in the morning. I needed to get back before the Golden's wake up. 'Golden's' was a nickname that was used back in Celestic for the Golden City folk. I never used it because I felt it was offensive to them, but I didn't care anymore. Why did I really ever care?

I slumped down to the ground, eyes full of tears, and rubbed my arms. I had lost. I would be found out. But what one was better? Being captured by guards, and who knows what will happen there, or the Golden's going on a manhunt to find me? Only for me to make some excuse that they _might _believe. A few tears dripped off my chin and unto my lap. "Stupid." I muttered.

"Who? Me?"

I froze. I lifted my head slightly. A man was leaning against one of the houses in the alleyway. He had on a slight smug grin painted on heavy stubble, and his messy brown hair hung over his eyes. I was silent.

He murmured a laugh. "You've got yourself into a situation, haven't you?" Byron said. I didn't reply. "Well… I would offer my help but…" He scratched his chin, the smug grin still on his face.

"But what, Byron?"

"You sound irritated. I just want to help." His grin grew.

"What, Byron, what do you want?" I said through clenched teeth. _He wants me to give back the badge, claim I cheated. _I thought.

His grin turned into a crooked smile. "I want you to promise me something, Newbie. And then I'll help." I realized how no one liked to call me my name. It was 'Blondie' or 'Newbie.' But someday everyone would be calling me by my name.

For a second, I saw something other than smugness in his eyes. Something that proved he had real feelings. "I want you to promise me hope," He continued. "Hope that my son and I can live off of."

I blinked at him. "_What_? Do you want money?" I could half-understand that. He did live in Oreburgh after all.

He shook his head. "I don't care about money. I don't have any. That's why I didn't give you any. I hope you don't mind."

I shook my head. "Honestly, I didn't notice." Normally if someone beats a gym the Leader pays them, and vice versa.

"Well your friends sure did. Some Jubilife girl came back after everyone left and yelled at me. I, uh, I'm sorry… For that… I just don't have any money. I live here." He gestured around.

"It's fine, really. But what 'hope' do you want?" I brushed off the other subject.

He sat in front of me and leaned in closer. I would have moved, since his closeness was awkward, but because he took up the rest of the space, I really couldn't. "I want hope that you won't give up. Hope that someday, you're going to beat Lea and make my sons life less crappy."

"I promise." I whispered.

He leaned back and stood up. "Good, Newbie." His grin reappeared. "Now let's get you back in the Center." Before I could stop him, Byron walked right out of the alleyway.

"Hey!" The guard at the fence yelled. All three guards ran to Byron and tackled him. "What are you doing, Byron? You know better!"

I was stunned. They were beating their Leader. But they were distracted. I ran to the Center and right into the lobby. My heart rate slowed. "Thank goodness." I said. I looked around, no one. I smiled. I walked back downstairs and down the hallway. Once I reached my room, I pushed my ear to the door and listened. I heard snoring. I opened the door. Sure enough, Maxina was sleeping. I crept over to my bed and slipped off my old, dirty shoes and crawled in. Even though I slept the night before, I didn't sleep well. Possibly because of Ellena's conversation. I shuttered out of anger at the thought. But I pushed it away and slept.

* * *

><p>I sat in the underground train and silently said goodbye to Oreburgh. This time everyone huddled in the same car and chirped about me and my battle. Sometimes someone would look over at me and say 'Oh, you did fantastic! You'll make it far!' Or something along those lines. I would normally nod and smile in response.<p>

Constance sat beside me and I let her play with my hair. She would braid, then unbraid, then braid it again. She made silent comments along the way, but I didn't listen. Maxina had ignored me when we awoke that morning. She gave me a few weird glances, but ignored me. I didn't care. I pushed it away with the thought of _Good. _We had another huge meal. Luckily no meat was involved for this breakfast, just berries and the best berry pie I had ever eaten. Also, to my surprise, Moo Moo Milk was served. It was very delicious.

Finally, everyone left this end of the car and left Constance and I sitting on the couch. The way the train moved reminded me of the elevator ride, except bumpier. I decided not to think about it, thinking if I thought if the motion it would make me sick.

Maxina walked over to us and sat across the car. She looked at the floor. She had on her black, pixie-cut hair again and wore all black. I wore all black as well; I wasn't the biggest fan of color.

Constance had stopped playing with my hair and she had braided her own hair. _What does this girl do with her free time? _I rolled my eyes. I looked over at Maxina, she turned her head quickly, indicating she was looking at me. I hated this childish game. "What, Maxina? What's your problem?" I snapped.

She glared at me, and then looked at Constance. "Nothing." She muttered and looked back at the floor.

"Whatever it is, get over it." I stood up and walked over the door and into the other car. I found out why everyone spent their time there. There was a buffet and a drink table with a television. Although the television didn't have cable, a few of the people were entertaining themselves with some game. I saw an empty table and sat down. I _really _didn't want to deal with Maxina, she made me too mad. I was getting a headache.

After a while of sitting there at the table, the train stopped and I heard the intercom come on. "Attention passengers, not to alarm you, but our arrival will be slightly delayed. The cause hasn't been confirmed yet, so sit tight." _Yay. _

I groaned. Other people in the room groaned too. This was _not _going to be fun.

I had my egg pouch in my lap. I still hadn't told anyone about it. Mostly because I didn't trust anyone from Jubilife. I examined it. From what I saw from the top of the pouch, it was all white with a tinge of blue. It was small, I guess. Not that I had spent a lot of time around eggs, because I hadn't.

I relaxed in my chair and put my pouch down. _Okay, once I get back to Jubilife I'll be on my own again. I'll train for a day then leave to the next gym in Eterna. _I started thinking about training and what I would have to do with each Pokémon.

A few minutes passed and the door to the car opened. Maxina and Constance both walked in. Constance walked over to somebody and started talking, but Maxina came straight to me.

She put her hands on the table and leaned in towards me. "I need to talk to you_. Now_."

"Then talk. No one's stopping you." I said.

She rolled her eyes and grabbed my arm. I stood up and she tugged me over to another door. I didn't know where it went, I was assuming to the conductor or something. But it turned out to be the bathroom. Maxina pushed me in and closed the door behind her.

"_What_ do you want?" I asked in a whisper.

"To talk to you, Missy!" She whispered. When Maxina whispered, she seemed to lose her accent. "Listen, Little Rebel, I know you got out last night." She stepped toward me and crossed her arms over her chest.

"What? I don't know what you're talking about." I pulled it off, but she didn't look too convinced.

"I know you left!" She threw her hands up. "Don't lie! Where did you go, huh? What did you do? Did you do this to the train?"

I hesitated. "First of all, Maxina, I never left last night. Second of all, what do you mean? _How _or _why_ would I do this to the train? I want to get away from you as much as you want to get away from me. Lastly, you're crazy! Has your hairspray seeped into your brain?"

She stood up on her toes, but she didn't meet my eyes. I was much taller than her. "Listen to _me,_ I know you left. People will believe _me _over you. And you know it."

"So you're going to go run and tell on me?" I rolled my eyes. "You're a child. How old are you, anyway?"

She paused. "I'm not afraid to tell on you, Celia."

"_Cynthia_! My name is Cynthia! Is that so hard to say?" I was as loud as my whisper would allow.

"Whatever. And I'm older than you. I'll tell—" The train started again and Maxina fell against the wall. She groaned and stood straight again. "Girl, I'm watching you. If you do anything, _anything_ suspicious, you'll be found out." She opened the door and left.

I crossed my arms over my chest. _Who does she think she is? Coming in here and, and, uhg! _I walked back to my table and sat down.

The intercom came back on. "Passengers, we are back up again. We should be back in Jubilife in thirty minutes or less. Thank you for your patience."

"Thank goodness." I muttered. Constance had come over and joined me at the table.

"So Blondie, will you miss me when I'm gone?" She stuck her bottom lip out, making it look like she was going to cry. I just faked laughed. "What are you going to do when we get back to Jubilife?" She asked.

"Probably train." I shrugged. "Then move on."

"That's easy. You're boring, you know that?" She chirped in her Golden accent.

"Thanks." I murmured. She talked more and I nodded and pretended to listen. It wasn't about anything I was interested in anyways.

We made it back to Jubilife on time. Constance hugged me and said goodbye, and we left our separate ways. Everyone rushed back to the studio; apparently they needed to do the news right away.

I started walking to the white building that would, officially, get me out of the Golden Cities. Jubilife was a different place during the day. Billboards flashed different things every second everywhere, you could hear talking and laughing, and it was overly crowded.

I walked toward the white building. The crowd wasn't as bad on this side of the city. But there was a group standing next to a huge skyscraper. I just glanced at the group before focusing forward, but I quickly looked back at them.

There were four men in business suits. But on the arm of one of the men, a lady stood in an elegant pink and orange dress that pooled underneath her. She had shoulder-length coal black hair. I stared at her. "Sake?" I murmured. This lady couldn't be Sake. She had on a dress that only a Golden would be able to buy, and jewelry everywhere. This _wasn't _Sake. I shook my head and continued walking. I kept glancing over at the group. That lady looked so much like Sake, but there was no way she would be there.

The group walked into the giant building, and I focused forward. Before I made it to the door of the building, someone grabbed my shoulder. I instinctively spun around and hit the person.

"Maxina?" I asked. She grabbed her nose.

"Gah! Why'd you do that?" She whined.

"I thought, I don't know, you were someone else." Her nose started to bleed. "Maxina, I'm sorry. I think you need to see a doctor." The fact I said 'I'm sorry' made her give me a weird look.

She moaned. "Not now." She pulled out a handkerchief and held it to her nose. "I'll walk you out of Jubilife." She said.

We walked into the white building. I walked up to the lady at the desk. "I'm Cynthia Everheart. I'm going to Eterna."

The lady gave me a weird look. "I know who you are! Everyone in the Golden Cities knows who you are." She grinned. "You are awesome."

"Thank you." I said unsure. "I just need to leave, if you wouldn't mind writing that down wherever it needs to be."

"Oh yeah, right." She smiled sheepishly then filled out a piece of paper. I held out my hand and she poked it, and then scraped the blood on the paper. "Alright, Miss Everheart. You may go. But please, _please, _come back soon!"

I didn't say anything. I smiled thinly and walked to the back door. Maxina said something I couldn't hear to the lady, and she let her through without poking her finger. Her nose had stopped bleeding, but she held it when she approached.

"Okay, Rebel, I'm still on to you. I still think you're a troublemaker." She gave me a suspicious look. "I _will_ find out what you're hiding."

"I'm not hiding anything! For the last time, Maxina, I'm innocent! I haven't done anything wrong! You're crazy! I'm glad I will never see you again." I snapped. I lied, obviously, I wasn't innocent. I escaped illegally from Hearthrome, I was hiding Ellena's secret of escaping from Oreburgh everyday and the tunnel from Oreburgh to Sandgem.

She laughed. "Okay, okay. I hope you have a nice life, Rebel."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever." I spit. I turned and walked out the door.

The fresh, woody smell hit me like a bullet. It was so nice. I closed the door behind me and walked to a pond nearby. It reflected my face perfectly in the teal water. I smiled. I was _alone_ and away from Jubilife or Hearthrome. I had every reason to smile.

* * *

><p>I had finished training and walked on Route 204. The sun was setting when I saw a large wooden arch. I couldn't read what it said. It was written in ancient Unknown Writing. I looked down at the map in my hands and squinted, it was getting late and hard to see. Floaroma, the place of sweet scents and honey.<p>

For the past little bit of walking I could smell a perfume-like scent. Now it was overwhelming. The scent made me want to pass out. I walked into the town and was greeted by fields of flowers and berry plants. There was a nice breeze, promising to keep the town comfortingly cool. I walked over to the Pokémon Center and healed up. The lady behind the counter looked so _normal,_ it was nice. I got assigned a room for the night and walked in. It was small, but made-up to look nice. A few plotted plants sprinkled the pink room. Flashbacks of Hilda's guest room made me smile.

I showered and laid in bed. I felt so weird to be on my own again. I laughed and rolled to my side. "I'm on my own. For the first time since I've started my journey, I'm _alone. _I'm taking care of myself." I got out of bed and started repacking my bag. It was a mess of wrinkled clothes.

When I pulled out something, I was confused. It was the rock Grandmother gave me when I left. Memories of her flew around me as I held the rock. It was a tan color, and I admired it. Then, something weird happened. The lines running through the rock started to glow a deep purple. I threw the rock toward the wall, and it stopped before crashing into the wall. Then, the purple went back to tan and the rock fell to the ground. I hesitated, but I walked over to the rock and picked it up.

"What are you?" I asked the thing. I knew it couldn't answer me, but still, it came alive. I grabbed the paper it was wrapped in and folded the rock in it and stuck it in my bag first. I covered it up with clothes and other items and wished to forget about it. But it still lingered in my head. _How did Grandmother get that thing? Why was it in Celestic Ruins? _I shook my head. I should have been more upset or more concerned about it, but I wasn't. I felt peace inside that I shouldn't worry. So I didn't.

* * *

><p>When I awoke the next morning I took my time in my room. I dressed in fresh clothes and brushed through my hair. Although, I was running out of fresh clothes. It probably took all of an hour to get ready, when it normally took me a minute. It felt good to not be rushed or on a schedule.<p>

Since I was in Floaroma, I decided to take a look around. I asked the nurse where I could get breakfast, and she my best bet was the Mart. I walked to the Mart, which was just across the street. Floaroma was a small, yet beautiful, town. Everything was pushed together on two streets to make room for the fields. Before walking into the Mart, there was a shop next door. It had a sign that read 'Pick a Peck of Color Flower Shop' so I walked in. There were overflowing flower pots _everywhere. _Hanging from the ceiling, pots covering the ground, and on every shelf. There was one path to a counter where a lady was cutting stems of some flower I had never seen.

I approached her. She was probably Grandmother's age. She had silver hair pulled into a neat bun and wrinkles on her face. "Hello, hello!" She said as she looked up. Her eyes were cloudy green, I think she had cataracts, but nonetheless, the stems were cut perfectly. "How may I help you?"

"Oh, I was just looking. Those are beautiful flowers there." I pointed to the vase she was working on.

"Thank you! These are tulips. Rare things, you know. I love them, I would pay big bucks for these. I got my hands on some seeds last year, and normally when I plant tulips they never grow. But look." She gestured to the purple flowers.

I nodded. "They're very pretty."

"Yes, yes. I would love to just take them home, but, these are actually something people would buy. And I need the money." She laughed gently.

"I bet you probably have a house that looks just like this." I smiled and gestured to the floor.

She laughed. "I wish! I'm really not allowed to take anything home with me. If the guards found out, whew! Would I be in trouble!"

She laughed, but I gave her a weird look. "_Guards_?"

She cocked her head at me. "Yeah, they do their rounds once a week to make sure we've done efficient work. The boys in the fields, young girls in the orchard, we elders do work like this." She pointed to a flower pot. "They keep us busy."

"You mean you all have to work?"

She laughed. "Yes, yes. We're forced to harvest. We send all out food to the Golden Cities. In return, we get protection."

"Protection?" I echoed. "What kind of protection?"

"Our Town Elder, years ago, made up a deal. You see, he was very superstitious. Said that a Pokémon had brought up this town from a rocky mountain land to this beautiful, lush place with great soil. The Pokémon, who he called Gracidea, scared him. He thought that if we ever did something like start a fire or do something against the fields and meadows, we would all be cursed by Gracidea. So he, being crazy and superstitious, begged Lea to protect us from Gracidea. Lea said he would find a way to fight back _any _Pokémon, so we shouldn't worry, just as long as we worked hard and reached the limit every week."

"Do you believe in Gracidea?" I asked. I had gotten absorbed in the conversation.

"Oh no. I don't believe in myths. But Lea lied. That was years ago, and as far as I know, he hasn't come up with a 'power' to keep away a Pokémon." She scoffed. "But that old loon, our old Town Elder, died shortly after. He wasn't in his right mind. When someone tried to tell him that and get him to resign, he would babble crazy things. 'They talk to me!' He would say. 'They tell me things… The voices!' And one time he even threw a flower vase at his own son." She shook her head and made a 'tsk tsk' sound with her tongue. "Now, his son Reginald is the Elder. He does a great job of it. But unfortunately, because of crazy Luca, we're still forced into working."

"Did you know Oreburgh is forced to mine? They can't even leave their town. They're prisoners. They have guards all the time. Why isn't Floaroma like that?" I asked.

"Yes, I do know about Oreburgh. I'm not too sure why that is. I think it's because they can get away with torturing Oreburgh, but we're right here in the middle of one of the main routes. Also, I have a theory, I think Lea is superstitious himself. If he thinks that doing something to this town will disturb Gracidea, then he wouldn't dare ruin that. So really, we're lucky for that crazy loon." She laughed. "But, but that doesn't matter." She smiled. "It's a myth. And both Luca and Lea are loons."

I laughed at that. "You are right. Well, I guess I'll be leaving. I need to grab a bite to eat before I leave for Eterna."

"Right, right. Would you like some honey for the road?" Floaroma was famous for its amazing honey.

"Sure." I smiled.

"Just don't tell anyone. It's illegal to keep more than a jar or two of honey, and I'm not even a honey worker." She handed me a jar of honey and a loaf of bread. "It was nice meeting you."

"It was nice meeting you too. Thanks for the story, it was nice." I walked out of the shop and into the Mart. I spread some honey on my bread and ate as I looked around. There was nothing I needed except Pokéballs. So I grabbed a few and bought them. I still had most of Grandmother's money left, so I was pretty much set. I just needed to win the next gym.

The next gym scared me a bit. Grass Type's and possible Bug Type's, I wasn't sure, would be hard. I would need a Flying Type or Fire Type. _I could probably get a Starly on my way there, hopefully,_ _and maybe I'll be able to take a day to train with it. _I thought. I sighed. _Maybe… _

I walked over to the fields. A group of people started harvesting some berry plants. A young girl, probably Essie's age, stood at the closest plant.

"Mom!" She yelled to a lady across the field.

"Yes?" The lady answered.

"I'm done! Can I go home now?"

"No, you need to do your work." The mother yelled. "C'mon, work another plant. Go help your brother."

The young girl ran toward another young child. She started picking berries with him.

I shook my head. _All she wants is to go home, but she's forced to work because of Lea. _I sighed. _These people do not deserve this. They need a new champion, they need hope._

* * *

><p><strong> Authors Note: Ah, filler chapters, they never fail me. Although this was short filler, a lot of things were important! Some more than others. Some are just trying to get you think differently... Because you will never have this story fully figured out... I've said too much. <strong>

**Anyways, you guys are awesome and continue to inspire me! **

**I really want to know what you guys think. How am I doing on the story-line, characters, etc? **

**Thanks for reading**


	10. Broken

_Chapter Nine: Broken_

_With Every Legend, There's a Beginning _

The sun was rising over the mountains on Route 205. Everything took on a purple and orange look as the world turned from light to darkness; night to morning. The sun beamed happily but rose gracefully as if pushing itself out of bed after a long rest.

I camped out for the night close to Eterna Forest. I could see the wall of trees close by. I let out Budew and Bidoof for the night and they helped keep me warm, it was breezy out there. I pulled my messy morning hair up into a bun and brushed some dirt off my clothes. I decided to skip breakfast and eat as soon as I got to Eterna. I only had a piece of bread left and half a jar of honey. My stomach growled and begged to be fed, but I put my foot down and left for the forest.

I took long strides and lugged my bags with me. _Keep your mind off your ankles. _I repeated. My ankles already started to ache, and I hadn't walked very far. I had been walking in Eterna Forest for probably ten minutes.

I came across a Buneary and had a quick, and successful, battle. My Bidoof was getting faster and tougher. I saw much improvement in him. Budew was still a little off. She was quick, which was good, and getting better at dodging. Gible was too stubborn to train before I left Floaroma, so I just returned her and said 'Fine, Snorlax-Gible, if you do not want to grow stronger, you won't battle.' We hated each other. There was no love like a starter Pokémon and a trainer should have. It was purely battle. This would be okay if Gible listened to me.

Eterna Forest was mystical. The huge trees, all of different kinds, towered above me and shaded me from the sun. Only sometimes a beam of light would shine through and reveal the dancing specks of the air. I kept thinking 'My mother would have loved this place.' I saw a bunch of trees I didn't recognize. Some with large trunks and short branches that sprouted too many leaves so you couldn't see the Pokémon nesting. A lot of flowers spotted the green ground also. It was all very beautiful.

I came upon one area with an old cabin that was deserted and beat-down. It was a small house with broken windows and holes everywhere. A few Pokémon ran through the holes to get away from me. A few yards away sat a statue. I walked up to it. It was a chiseled rock of some Pokémon. The Pokémon was oddly shaped. It was bowing its head so the person looking at it could see the pink gem placed on its forehead. It held its arms to one side, pointing. I looked to where it was pointing. Nestled in between two trees was another Pokémon statue. It was slightly different than the other, but it was bowing and pointing. This Pokémon also had a pink gem on its forehead.

The last statue was just inside a group of trees and in a clearing. In the back of my mind I worried about getting lost, but brushed the thoughts away. This last Pokémon, like the other two, had a pink gem on its head. I wondered what these statues meant and why they were in Eterna Forest, but then I remembered. Way back before Annie became the champion, Eterna _was_ Eterna Forest. So people actually lived out there.

This statue, however, had writing on its base. I read aloud. "The power of three, united we stand. Whispers in the wind, spots in the sand. The power of one, united we stand. Come together, only in the Tinkers right hand. Broken are we because of true power, we come together in only one holy hour. Broken are we, the power of three." I cocked my head and studied the Pokémon. I felt like I had seen it before somewhere. But the thought was hazy and dreamlike. _Maybe I dreamed it? _

Each Pokémon had different shaped heads, but the same body. I tried to think of where I saw them before. _They must be Legendaries, otherwise they wouldn't have their own statues._ I thought. In my studies I learned about a few Legendary Pokémon. Dialga the Keeper of Time, Palkia the Keeper of Space and Reality, Heatran the Lava Legendary, and a few others from other regions. They all contribute to the world somehow. They keep everything in order.

But that rhyme, it had to mean something. And it was definitely written by humans. The statues were chiseled artwork. I felt something deep inside, something screaming 'It means something!' But all I could think of was the Solaceon bombing. Someone bombed Unknown Writing that said 'All who's good and kind will be rewarded over time, all who's not, will see the lot of darkness.' Although it was just something the Unknowns wrote, someone was trying to make a statement by bombing it. Same with every other bombing and the fire in Veilstone. I suddenly sat my stuff down.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked at my shoulder, nothing was there. It was some ghost hand. I wanted to scream, but I felt overwhelming peace. "Daaaa, oooo, ttthhhh." I heard whispers again.

I turned around, but no one was there. My heart picked up speed. The presence was still there.

"Do not." It paused. "Be. A fool. Think. Think." I felt wind wisp around me, as if the ghost was circling me. "Have." The voice was leaving; I felt the presence slip away. "Heart. Think… Think…" And with that, the whisperer was gone and took its peace with it.

"Wait!" I called. I dropped to my knees. "Come back! I have so many questions for you!" Tears started swimming in my eyes. "Please?"

I had never felt so lost before. I felt like I didn't know _anything._ I didn't feel like a trainer or soon-to-be champion. I felt like the little girl who moved in with her grandparents demanding for her mother and father who were long gone. I felt like the little confused girl standing at the boating docks crying saying 'Grandmother, why haven't Mother or Father come back yet? They said they would be gone only one day! It's been a million days!' Everything spun around me.

"No." I said. I shook my head and stood up. "I'm going to be the champion, I am not going to let something control me." I looked back at the statue. "You're a connection, aren't you? Somehow you're connected to the attacks, to Lea." I thought about it. "No… No… You're not…" I swore loudly.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

My eyes grew wide and I spun around. Some guy, a year or two older than me, was standing there. He had greenish hair that was neatly combed back. He wore tan shorts and a green t-shirt. He clutched the straps of his backpack. "Did you hear me?" He asked.

"Yes. I did. I'm just, uh…" I bit my lip. "I'm trying to figure out this rhyme, okay?" I pointed to the statue.

He nodded. "Ah, yeah. 'The power of three, united we stand.' You shouldn't get so stressed over it. It's just a poem." He shrugged. "I'm Oliver." He stuck his hand out to me.

I shook it. "Cynthia." I smiled thinly. "So you're familiar with this rhyme?" I turned back to the statue.

"Yeah, yeah. I live in Eterna and come out here often. Everyone has stumbled across the statues before."

"What does it mean?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Beats me. The man who made those things was possessed. He's long dead now."

"Then these were definitely manmade by a possessed loon. Good to know." I grabbed my bags and turned around. I started walking away.

"Hey, wait up." He ran to my side.

"Can I help you?" I stopped walking and stood in front of him.

"Do you even know where you're going?" He asked, ignoring me.

"As a matter of fact, yes. I'm going to Eterna."

He laughed. "_Really_? By the looks of it you were headed back to Floaroma." He grinned.

I rolled my eyes. "I was not. I got a little off track because of the statues, but—"

"But, the statues are off track. You're turned around." He cut me off.

I sighed. "I'll figure it out. Nice meeting you." I stomped off. I heard leaves crackling behind me, he was still following me. I stopped. "What do you want stalker?"

"I'm no stalker, miss." He said. "I'm being nice and helping you get to Eterna."

"You're not helping." I muttered.

"Sure I am! Here's a hint, you're very, very, very cold right now."

I groaned. "Leave me alone." I was _not_ in the mood.

He sighed. "Fine, fine, fine. If you don't want my _expertise_ skill of traveling, it's your loss. But just for the road, by going that way you'll be much warmer." Oliver pointed to a trail and walked towards the statue clearing.

I nodded my thanks and walked to the trail. After a minute of walking I came to another clearing, this time there were three different trails. I smacked my forehead. "Great, Cynthia! Just great!" _Now I have no choice but to ask for his help… _I thought. I groaned and walked back to the statue. He was on his knees reading the poem.

"Hey, what are you doing?" I decided to go with a joke to ease my embarrassment. He looked up at me, I tried a smile.

"Saw the trails?"

"Yeah."

"Let's go." He stood up and led the way down the trail.

"So, Oliver, what are you doing out here?" I asked.

"Just walking around. The statue is my thinking place." He pointed to his head. "Nice and quiet out there."

I nodded. "It is." I agreed. "Do you know anything else about the poem?"

He thought for a moment and then shook his head. "Sorry. Poetry isn't really my forte, if you know what I mean. But I try to decipher it."

"What have you deciphered?" I wondered.

"Nada thing." He looked over his shoulder and grinned at me.

"Oh." I looked at my feet.

"Hey, don't get stressed again. I don't like stressed Cynthia." Oliver looked back at me and I glared at him. "What? I'm just being honest." He shrugged and grinned.

"Well I think it means something deep."

"Like the bottom of a bucket?"

"Something that has to do with legendaries." I continued and ignored him.

He nodded. "Could be. I think they're just weird looking Pokémon from the mind of a possessed sculptor."

"Of course you would." I murmured.

"Hey!" He stopped and turned around.

"What? I'm just being honest." I crossed my arms over my chest and smirked.

He ran his hands through his hair. "Yeah, yeah." We started walking again.

"Other than getting lost and swearing at a rock, what were _you_ doing out there?" Oliver asked.

"Just trying to get to Eterna." I shrugged. "The statue did have me captivated though."

"They do that. You just wonder and wonder what that old drunk was thinking however many years ago."

"Why do you think he was a drunk? You shouldn't judge someone so harshly." I said.

"Ever been in his house? I have. It's an old, Pokémon infested dump with broken bottles everywhere. He had no friends or family to clean up his mess after he passed, so it's left just the same." He explained.

"Where is his house?"

"It's that cabin near the statues."

I stopped in my tracks. "Let's go back, then."

"What? But—" He tried to protest.

"But nothing, come on Oliver. Maybe there's a clue in his house since it's left exactly the same." I turned around.

Oliver groaned and started to lead the way again. "It's a _dump, _do you not understand that?"

"One man's trash is another woman's treasure."

"_Please_ don't go all fortune cookie on me." He looked over his shoulder and glared at me. I smirked.

We got back to the cabin rather quickly. I walked up to the old house and pushed open the wooden door. It cracked open then fell right on the ground.

"I didn't mean to do it." I said quickly.

"Oh no, Cynthia, it's all your fault. It's not the hundred year old door." He gave me a look and I glared at him.

I stepped inside. Right at the door was a broken bottle. The musty smell overwhelmed me and I coughed. "I told you." Oliver said through a cough. "Very unsanitary. But _no, _we just have to go on an old dump, Rattata infested adventure."

"Oliver, if you want you can wait outside." I said annoyed.

"Pshh, yeah right. There's no way I'm missing this." He said.

"Then look around." I walked around a few more bottles to a wall. This wall had a boulder pushed up to it. The boulder had writing on it. I bent down for a closer look. "Whispers in the wind, spots in the sand. They haunt me like ghosts, never leave me alone. The voices gets louder, they want me." I whispered. _Voices, ghosts? _I thought. It was very familiar.

"Hey, check this out." Oliver said. He was standing at the table looking at some pieces of paper. I approached him. "This says 'Day 57: The voices are louder. They talk to me normally and not in whispers. It's my entire fault, I let them in. But they never left me alone! They keep telling me I need to build statues, but…' That's all I can make out. He spilled some of his spirits on the rest. And look here." He turned the page over. "'Day 59: I did it. I was up for the past two days, night and day, working on the statues. They revealed themselves to me. They're mesmerizing. They told me their deepest secret. They're broken. They need someone's help. I offered, but they said no. And then they left me. Left me! I miss their presence. They brought peace I have never felt before. Now I'm not safe. No one's safe! _No one_! I call for them but they ignore me. Everyone calls me insane, but I'm not. I'm not! I need to feel at peace. I've done things I regret… But it makes me feel better.' Crazy, right?" Oliver handed the page to me.

"Maybe not." I said as I studied the page. "Who says he's crazy just because he heard whispers?"

He gave me a weird look. "Uh, what? You're not serious, right? No one just _hears_ things."

I bit my lip. "You're right." I muttered.

"Does this mean we're done here? I feel like I have dust covering me." He started brushing his clothes for dramatic effect.

I ignored him and looked through some other dusty, yellowed pages under the half-full bottles of spirits. I couldn't find anything else. Only one page full of the quick handwriting, but it was all smudged and unreadable. I sat the pages back on the old table and looked around. There was a Buneary huddled in a corner protecting other smaller Buneary. Other than that there were only broken bottles, broken wooden chairs, and an old bed.

There was writing on the walls. Most was unreadable, but some were lines from the poem on the statue. "I guess we're done. Have you found anything else?" I turned towards Oliver. He was in another room.

"No. This is just an old kitchen and I _think _a bathroom…" I heard a slight crash. Oliver ran out of the room. "Ack! Definitely a bathroom. Let's just say our crazy friend used a bucket." He made a disgusted face. "Don't go in there."

"I won't. Ready to head to Eterna?" I asked.

"Yeah, yeah." We walked out of the door and back down the trail. Nothing changed outside. The breeze picked back up and the dew from the grass vanished. What you could see through the leaves of the trees indicated a clear sky. It was nice.

"Don't you think going to Mr. Loon's house was a waste of time?" Oliver asked.

"Of course not. We learned a lot there." I said.

"Because that's what _I _wanted to do with my free time." He sighed.

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. _I _learned a lot. Is that better?"

"Yep."

We were silent for the rest of the walk. We walked mostly on slim trails or taking 'shortcuts' through the trees. It took about an hour of walking to get to the end of Eterna Forest.

"Here we are. Route 205. Easiest Route to follow." He chuckled. "Maybe not but one of the easiest, I assure you. Just follow your map." He smiled.

"Thanks, Oliver. Without your help it would have taken me a long time to get here."

"Hey, no problem." He ran his hand through his green hair.

Then, my stomach growled loudly. I gripped my stomach. Oliver laughed. "I skipped breakfast." I explained.

"Then you need Sally's." He grinned.

"What?"

"Sally, she's the best cook I know. If she had the funds, and didn't have a kid, she would have her own restaurant. C'mon, I'll escort you myself." He made a large bow and I laughed and rolled my eyes.

"Thank you?" I cocked my head at him.

"You're welcome." He said it in the Golden accent. "Now then, let's head off. My royal subjects must be so worried about me."

"_Please_." I scoffed. "You are not royal, for one, and you shouldn't talk in a Golden accent. They're not 'royal' either."

"Hush, hush. I _am_ very much so regal and royal and rich and such." He laughed and lost his accent. "I'm not rich obviously. But those Golden City people are insanely rich, practically royalty."

I just nodded and continued on. We walked to an area with a field of tall grass and trees surrounding it. I stopped and looked at it.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Oliver asked once he realized I stopped.

"I want to train." I said.

"Can't you just train later?" He groaned.

"No. I need to train now. I might challenge the gym later today."

"I have food!" He tried.

"No, Oliver. You can go on ahead and I'll meet you in Eterna."

"Alright, see you then." He turned and walked off.

I walked into the field and grabbed Bidoof's Pokéball. I heard chatter from the trees. _How do I get them to come out? _I thought. "Go Bidoof." My Pokémon came out of the ball. "How about using Tackle on that tree?" I pointed to a tree. The Pokémon obeyed and rammed into the trunk. The tree barely shook, but a Pokémon came out of it. It was a Hoothoot. Its eyes were wild and huge, and it started 'hooting' like it was scared. It flew over to me and tried to grab my face with its talon.

"Bidoof, Tackle!" I commanded. He leapt into the air and knocked the bird to the ground. It quickly flew back up and came toward me. I put my hands forward to cover my face, and I felt talons scratch my palms. "Tackle then Growl." I yelled. Bidoof took down the foe and growled loudly. The bird screeched and tackled my Pokémon. Bidoof hit the ground hard and yelped, but quickly jumped back up. He curled into a ball and did something new, he made a teal bubble appear around him. The Hoothoot was now focused on Bidoof.

"Tackle." I said. Bidoof ran hard and jumped on the bird. They both hit the ground hard. I grabbed an empty Pokéball and threw it at the foe. It was sucked into it and the ball was rapidly shaking. I knew I couldn't catch the Hoothoot; I threw the ball to let us get away. I didn't want a Pokémon that attacked me. I started jogging away, and Bidoof was running at my side. I looked at my hands. They were covered in deep red blood. I cringed and curled my hands into fists. It stung so bad tears crept into my eyes.

Then, I heard a slight ding. I froze and looked over my shoulder, I caught the Pokémon.

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Note: I just want to say sorry for not posting in so long, pure laziness for some part of it, internet malfunctions for another part, and editing this chapter so much. Originally, this chapter consisted of Cynthia meeting a couple and talking with them, and a quick walk through E-Forest, and then being in Eterna. I hope you guys think this is better. In another edit I put in Oliver, which I have come to love. I always have my OC's close to my heart, but this guy has to be the closest. SPOILER: There is a gym leader (My OC) which I love already, her name is Zoey and I won't tell you which gym she's in. She's not in the next one. That's all about her. I just adore her and I will try to make her epic. <strong>

**Another thing I'm sorry for: There probably won't be cover art unless a friend of mine does it for me. Drawing is something I can't do, and I don't even have Photoshop to make it look better. So... Yeah. You'll have to deal with my profile picture as the cover, which is a Lapras. (Not so bad, right?)**

**Now that you guys have read all that, I want to say how thankful I am for you. I feel like through this story I've lost so many readers and you guys are getting bored or just quit on me. Please tell me if you are. I've been cut from a community, which is really upsetting, and I've been down. (Another reason this took so long to write... But there are not any excuse.) So thank you to the people who haven't quit on me. Really, thanks for reading! And unlike me, don't quit doing something you love because you've lost readers. (Not saying I've quit this story, in fact the next chapter should be posted quicker.) And with that, see you next time!**


	11. Rumors

_Chapter Ten: Rumors_

_And Everything Came Crashing Down _

I was sitting at the kitchen table in Sally's house. I already met up with Oliver in Eterna and he gave me a quick tour. He showed me the gym, Center and Mart then took me to his house. I met his older sister Sally, who owned the house, her daughter Caylie, and his younger brother Ray. They were extremely nice to me. Including Oliver who thought I was crazy once I made it into Eterna.

When I met up with him I was very frantic. "Hey, what's wrong?" He asked.

"I—I came upon a Hoothoot who tried to attack me, and I caught it on accident, but it scratched my hands and they hurt and are all covered in blood!" I was shaking tremendously.

"Let me see your hands." On the run to Eterna I grabbed some leaves and had been gripping them in my hands to soak up some blood. I had my hands in my pants pockets, I brought them out and uncurled them. He brushed off the leafs and gave me a weird look.

"Is it bad?" I whispered.

"Uhh, what? No. Cynthia, there _is_ no scratch, no blood, nothing. Is there even a Hoothoot? It's way too early to find them battling out there." He was right; the sun was still high in the sky.

With shaking arms I brought my hands up to my face. Nothing. No scar. No dried blood. "But, but!" I blinked. "Look at the leaves! They're covered!" I pointed to the crumpled leaves on the ground.

Oliver picked them up and inspected them. He shook his head. "They're sweaty, but not bloody. Are you alright? How hungry are you? Did you eat anything out there?" He felt my forehead.

I groaned and pushed his hand away. "No! I'm hungry, but not _that_ hungry. I swear there was a Hoothoot, I caught it, and I _have _it." I grabbed the Pokéball. "See?" I handed it to him.

"It's a Pokéball, but how do we know it's a Hoothoot unless—" He went to push the button.

"No!" I grabbed the ball. "You want it to try to kill me _again_?" I started to breathe weird.

"Hey, it's okay." He put his arm around my shoulder. "No Hoothoot will attack you. C'mon, we need to get you to Sally."

And we went to Sally's home. Oliver didn't mention my episode throughout the time, but I kept sneaking peeks at my hands to make sure the scars and blood hadn't come back. They didn't.

Sally served the best salad I had ever eaten. And I am a vegetarian, I had eaten a lot of salads in my lifetime. But this one stood out the most. I was silently thankful that she didn't serve meat.

"Did you like it, Cynthia?" Sally asked me as she took my bowl to the wash basin.

"Yes I did. It was great. I'll have to ask you to make me one sometime before I leave." I said.

Oliver laughed. "Sall, you'll have to cook her something less lazy next time." He turned toward me. "She's the best cook. She makes all kinds of stuff! What was that thing you made last week, Sall? Stuffed berries?"

"No, stuffed caulicumber." She laughed. "It is greens stuffed inside a rare caulicumber."

"It's good!" Caylie chirped. She was sitting on the counter in the kitchen watching her mother wash dishes. Little Caylie was about two or three. She was a chubby toddler. She had long blonde hair, total opposite of her mother's brown and greenish hair, and the cutest round face. You would never think Sally was her mother. Sally was tall and slender with a very slim face. The only thing that matched was the deep-green eyes. Kind of like my father and I, we had the same gray colored eyes.

"I'm assuming you two met in the Forest, since that's where Oli spends all his time." Sally said.

"Yeah, yeah. She was at the poem. You know 'The power of three' and all that." Oliver said.

"Ah. I remember when I first learned about it. It was in school many years ago. Then I went out in the middle of the night with a flashlight to find the statue myself. I got out to Eterna Forest and then heard a Hoothoot chirp, then ran away. All the way back home." She laughed. I didn't. The mention of a Hoothoot made me nervous. Another look at my hands: nothing. I just assumed I was slowly going crazy. Maybe I was. Oliver glanced at me as well, but didn't say anything.

Sally finished up washing the dishes and said she would take me to the Center, where I requested I needed to go. Oliver joined us, but Ray had to get back to Eterna Pokémon School. He only came home for lunch break.

Sally had Caylie resting on her hip as we walked. The town was quaint and cozy. Trees filled the area, but it wasn't like Eterna Forest. There was a cooling breeze that made the hot day enjoyable. The houses were all two-stories but not very wide. Sally's house was small but had a second story for the bedrooms.

Because Annie, the champion before Lea, lived in Eterna she gave 'extra' funds to her home town. So they became wealthier then Solaceon or Celestic, but didn't turn into a Golden City. You couldn't tell it by the people. They all looked normal, except that some of them had green tinges to their hair, and I even saw a few of them working. A group of men were building a house, a few woman arranging flowers outside of a flower shop, and we even passed the Pokémon School where there was a group of young children being taught outside.

We made it to the Center in a matter of minutes. Oliver walked in with me while Sally stayed outside and played with her daughter. I walked up to the counter and handed them my Pokémon. I now had four Pokéballs. I decided I was going to heal Hoothoot, since that was fair to the Pokémon, and even get it checked on the hologram screen. That would be proof to Oliver also.

"Could you show me this Pokémon on the screen?" I picked up the Pokéball. I knew which one it was because Hoothoot's had grass stains and I thought I even saw blood on it. But I was just going crazy.

"Sure thing." The nurse took the Pokéball and placed it on the screen. The hologram came up and Oliver and I walked over to it. "It looks like you have a level ten to thirteen boy Hoothoot here. Our machine is having a hard time cracking his level, however."

"Thank you." I turned to Oliver. "I told you I caught a Hoothoot. Believe me now?"

He ran his hand through his hair. "Nah." He grinned.

I scoffed. "Thanks." I rolled my eyes and collected my Pokémon. We walked toward the door when a man in the post office uniform stopped me.

"Cynthia Everheart?" He asked.

"Yes?"

"This is from Celestic." The man handed me a package. I looked at the name and address. It was from Grandmother. I quickly opened the box. A letter sat on top of everything. I opened it and read it. _Happy Birthday Cynthia! _Signed from Grandmother, Jamie and Ember. There were three stones in the box.

"Hey, that's a shiny stone and an everstone, I'm not too sure what that other one is. But those are cool gifts. It's your birthday?" Oliver asked.

I thought for a moment. "I guess my birthday was last week. I forgot about it." I laughed slightly. "I guess that's what being a trainer does to you." We laughed and I stuffed my gifts into my bag as we walked out the door.

We met back with Sally. "Everything a-okay?" She asked as she picked up Caylie.

I nodded. "Yep. Do you know of anywhere I can train? I would like to work with my Pokémon before challenging the gym."

"Oh a trainer! How nice." Sally chirped. "The three of us never wanted to be trainers. Ray might change his mind, he has time, but I can't." She smirked then held the toddler in her arms closer. I smiled at Caylie. She yawned and rested her face on her mother's shoulder. "Anyways, you can go back to Route 205 to train. That's really the best place around here."

_That's the last place I want to be. _I thought. "Oh, okay. And thank you for lunch."

"No problem. Come back and visit anytime."

"See you, Cynthia." Oliver grinned and walked off with Sally.

I nodded to them and walked toward the path. Eterna was easy to navigate through, so it didn't take me long.

* * *

><p>I tapped my foot on the grass at my Snorlax-Gible. "Listen to me!" I yelled at her. I had gone <em>way<em> past my usual level of frustration with my Pokémon. "How hard is it to Tackle?" I crossed my arms over my chest. Gible was sitting on the ground, she was totally zoned out. I had trained a good bit with Budew and Bidoof and made great progress. I had saved _this_ Pokémon until last. I sighed then groaned. _What to do… _I thought. Then, I smirked. "I've got it."

I reached into my bag and pulled out Bidoof. "Alright then, let's see how you do in a battle." I walked a good distance from Gible and released Bidoof. "Go, Bidoof! Let's do this." I got Gible's attention.

"Rollout, now." I commanded. Bidoof curled into a ball and literally rolled into Gible. She snarled and showed some teeth, but no comeback. Bidoof continued. Each hit was stronger until Gible was knocked back a foot or two. She jumped up and growled.

"Tackle her." I yelled. Bidoof used Tackle perfectly and it was beautiful. It could have easily been a critical hit.

This time, Gible growled then stomped angrily to my Pokémon. Her stomp turned into a sprint and she slammed into Bidoof. It was a full-body slam. Gible recoiled and fell on the ground, she took some damage too.

"New move, huh? This is why we train." I said to myself. I called back Bidoof before he took too much damage. "Alright, Gible, are you ready to train?" She growled, but walked up to me.

"Okay, start with using Tackle that tree." I pointed to a big, fat tree. Gible didn't do anything. "You need to listen to your trainer! How do you _not_ understand that?" Just then Gible jumped backward. She peered into the trees and growled. "What?" I turned around. I heard a crack. _Ellena all over again. _"What? Who's there?" I wasn't scared this time however; I knew that I didn't just escape illegally from a Golden City.

A lady, quite a bit older then myself, walked out of the woods. She had platinum blonde hair pulled back in a bun and wore a traveling outfit. "Hello there." She smiled.

"Hello." I blinked. "Were you… Watching me?"

"Oh, no! I was just coming out here to train. I see you found this place too, huh?"  
>She laughed.<p>

"You're a trainer?" She seemed a little old.

"Well, ex-trainer, I guess. I did happen to see your little battle there." She pointed to Gible, who surprisingly didn't try to make an escape while I was distracted. "Nice Bidoof. But your Gible isn't as stubborn as you think."

I laughed. "That's funny, because she doesn't listen to a word I say. She doesn't even listen to the command Tackle."

"Because she doesn't know Tackle." The lady explained. "She replaced Tackle with Take Down, her new move. A Pokémon automatically forgets a move when a new one is learned. When you say Tackle, that's like saying Leaf Storm to her." She laughed.

"Oh, of course." I looked at Snorlax-Gible. "Take Down, on that tree." I pointed to the fat tree again. Gible obeyed. She worked up a run and used the move. Afterward she panted and came back to me.

"She'll need practice, of course. But she's pretty good." She smiled and extended her hand. "Nice to meet you, I am Annie."

I gave her a weird look. "You're _Annie, _as in Champion Annie?"

"Ex-champion, yes. And you are?"

"Oh, I'm Cynthia." I shook her hand finally. "It's great to meet you." I smiled.

Annie laughed. "Thank you. Anyways, are you going to continue training? I can leave you be, if you would like."

"No, I think I'm done here. I actually want to challenge the gym." I returned Gible and grabbed my bag and egg pouch.

Annie noticed my pouch. "Is that an egg you're carrying?"

"Yeah, it was a gift."

"May I see it?"

"Sure." I pulled out the egg and handed it to her. She studied it.

"Well this is a beauty. And quite a ways along too. It should hatch soon." Annie nodded and put the egg back in the pouch.

"Really? That would be great. I need another Pokémon." We started walking back to Eterna.

We walked through Eterna and I healed my Pokémon at the Center. We approached the gym. It was huge. It was a huge arena three-times the size as Oreburgh's gym. Before we entered, I saw a huge tree in the distance. It had a huge trunk and what looked like stairs that wrapped around it, leading up to the top of the tree. You couldn't see anything up there because of the mass amount of leaves.

"What's that?" I had stopped in my tracks and was gawking at it.

"Leaf Tower. A temple of sorts. That's where people go to seek peace. I will take you there after your battle, if you like. I'm sorry I can't take you now, if you earn the badge from Serena then you become eligible to enter Leaf Tower. It has to do with being tough and earning your way." Wind wisped around and knocked hundreds of leaves off the tree and carried them around Eterna. Even though the tree lost a lot, you couldn't tell it. There were so many leaves.

"I would hate to be here when fall comes." I said.

"Actually, the amazing thing about that tree is it never loses its leaves. We don't have winter here, or a long fall, but it still never changes. It's amazing." She looked at me and smiled. "Anyways, ready to battle?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." I said. Butterfree filled my stomach, but nonetheless, I was confident that I would win.

We entered the arena. I was taken aback. It was simply amazing. It was huge, for one thing, there were two large battle areas. There were Pokémon out training with a handful of trainers.

"Which one's Serena?" I asked.

"None of these. These are trainers, Serena lets them train here. I'll get her." Annie walked to a flight of stairs and went to the balcony that overlooked the battle areas. She came back down with a young lady following her.

Serena looked about in her twenties. She had dark colored hair that was all messy and stuck out everywhere. She wore only a green shirt that barely laid on her thighs, and she was barefoot.

"Cynthia, this is Serena, and vice versa." Annie introduced.

"Nice to meet you." I smiled thinly.

Serena gave me a look over. "You're not as pretty in person. On TV you're much better looking."

Annie slapped her forehead. "Serena!"

"Honesty is the best policy." She shrugged. She looked over at me. "I suppose you want to battle."

"No, actually." Annie cocked her head at me.

"No?" Serena sounded happy about that.

"I want to defeat you." I fought of the urge to grin.

Serena puckered her lips and almost winced. "I see. Well then, I'm just going to have to watch you fail." She walked toward the closest battle area and told the trainers to leave and that there would be a battle. They all dispersed and waited for the battle to start. _Great… A crowd. _I thought. Although last time I was on television, I didn't have all those eyes on me.

I was proud at the way I walked to my side of the arena. I wasn't lugging my huge black bag around, instead I had my Pokéballs attached to my belt loops. I had confidence written all over my face and a stern expression on. I could easily wipe my face free of emotions. That's something I have learned with my childhood.

"Oh, Cynthia, I'm so sorry about your parents." Someone would say. And I learned quickly to clear my face so no one would really know what a touchy subject that is for me.

I took my battle stance. My eyes locked with Serena's. She was on the other side talking with another lady. The lady handed her three Pokéballs. Three on three. Even though I did have Hoothoot with me, I obviously wasn't going to use him. I was hoping that she would see I have four Pokémon and she would get intimidated. She didn't notice.

I grabbed Bidoof and released him. "Go, Bidoof." I yelled. My voiced trembled a tad.

"Roselia." Serena tossed her Pokéball in the air. A green Pokémon came out. Its hands were flowers, roses to be correct. It was the evolved form of Budew. "Leech Seed." Roselia spit seeds at Bidoof. They stuck to his fur because of the weird acid that covered the seeds. Bidoof slightly winced and I knew that they were literally leeching seeds.

"Rollout." I commanded. Bidoof, despite the seeds, sprinted to the foe and hit her. She fell backward, but quickly got up.

"Magical Leaf." Serena yelled. Roselia focused and closed her eyes. She made colorful leaves appear. They spun around her and multiplied, then she opened her eyes and the leaves shot to Bidoof. They cut into his skin and left small gashes. He let out a short cry, mostly because the seeds oozed more acid, before continuing to use Rollout. He had more vigor as he hit the opponent two more times.

Roselia dodged the last hit and looked at her trainer and awaited a command. "Mega Drain." Roselia's eyes became a yellow color. She looked intensely at Bidoof. He stood there staring at her while the seeds drank away his energy, and then he hit the ground. He cried out in pain. The opponent sucked the life out of him to refill hers.

I wasn't expecting my Pokémon to get up from that. Bidoof tried to fight off the seeds that were draining away his last bit of life, but the seeds won. Bidoof gave up and fainted. The seeds suddenly became a gray color instead of green and fell off of him.

I returned him. He fought hard and Roselia couldn't have much energy left. _Let's not bring out Gible yet… Well, Grass Type, let's see what you can do._ I thought. "Go Budew!" I released her. She came out and leapt into the air.

Serena laughed. "You _really _expect to win with that _thing_? Please! Roselia, finish her off with Mega Drain." Roselia focused. I knew there was no dodging this move, but I did have something in mind.

"Mega Drain." I commanded. Budew focused as well. Roselia's eyes became yellow first. She extended her invisible claw and tried to grasp Budew, but couldn't. Budew opened her eyes next. They were a mesmerizing light yellow. Budew did the same thing, although she was less experienced. They both didn't inflict nor feel any pain, they were both in the 'zone.'

The question was, however, who would let their guard down first?

"Keep fighting, Budew." I encouraged. Serena shook her head and rolled her eyes. Both Pokémon fought for a bit, but Roselia stopped trying first. Big mistake. Budew clawed her way into the rival's energy and absorbed it herself. She breathed it in like the best scent in the whole world.

Roselia fell to the ground. She was panting hard, but she hadn't fainted.

"Budew, Mega Drain again." I yelled. My Pokémon used Mega Drain. It took her a while to get focused, but once she used the move Roselia cried out in pain. It was a high-pitched noise that pinched your ears. That said she was down for good.

Serena returned her and quickly grabbed her next Pokémon. "Burmy, fight hard!" A green, odd, floating Pokémon materialized from the Pokéball. I had learned about it in my studies. It was a bug type that you could attract with honey on trees. I didn't know my chances of beating it.

"Mega Drain." I shouted. That time it wasn't Budew's toughest. That made me nervous. I suddenly realized all the eyes on me from the crowd.

"Start with Tackle." Serena commanded. The foe awkwardly tackled Budew, but it was tough. Budew met the ground hard. But she jumped right back up.

"Stun Spore." Budew spit seeds at Burmy. He was temporarily paralyzed. Any moves he used would have to be anything but physical moves.

"Hidden Power." Serena yelled. Light surrounded Burmy, and then he called the light inside of him. The light shot out in the forms of circles and hit Budew. She fainted instantly.

I called her back into her Pokéball. I took a deep breath. Gible time. I didn't know how well she would do, considering that she refused to train and even listen to me for the most part. But I knew that she was my last hope. I _needed_ to beat Serena; she got on my nerves too much with her obvious laziness and arrogance.

"Do you forfeit, or what?" She yelled.

I balled my hands into fists. "No, quite the opposite actually." I grabbed Gible's Pokéball and released her. Unfortunately there was not a look of fear or even surprise on Serena's face. She kept her face completely clear.

"Hidden Power." Serena commanded. Burmy collected the light faster than last time and shot them at Gible fiercely. Gible readied herself quickly and the light orbs seemed like it did little damage.

I had a plan with Gible. I had come up with this strategy while training with her a while back. I needed this Pokémon defeated so I could move on to Serena's last Pokémon. "Sand-Attack." I shouted. Gible protruded a bit of sand on the floating Bug Type. He started to shake his head and he fell to the ground. "Take Down." She took a minute to concentrate, but then stampeded to the foe and slammed into him a few times.

"Protect!" Burmy quickly obeyed. A blue transparent shield covered him as he cowered behind it.

"Stop using Take Down!" I screamed. But Gible, being stubborn, didn't listen. She rammed right into the shield and flew backward. She collided hard with the ground and let out an 'uhg' as she stood up. Her legs shook greatly, I knew she didn't have much left. Take Down took a lot out of her.

"Hidden Power." Serena said. The rival floated back into the air. Light orbs circled around him.

"Sandstorm, Gible." Sandstorm was a newer move Gible had learned a while back. I decided to see how good she was at using it.

My Pokémon opened her mouth and emitted sand. She controlled the sand telepathically as it traveled to Burmy. Just as Burmy sent out the light orbs, the sandstorm raged around him. The spheres zigzagged about and eventually evaporated because they couldn't find their target. _Perfect!_

"Dragon Rage." I yelled. Gible started to run to Burmy and through the sandstorm. She didn't listen to me _again._ "Gible!" She growled as she approached the foe.

"Use Protect!" Just as Gible leapt towards Burmy to use Take Down, the blue wall appeared and knocked Gible down. She squirmed on the floor for a second before getting back up. Burmy put his shield down.

"_Dragon Rage_!" I screamed. Gible projected some purple electricity that flew right onto Burmy's face. The sandstorm still raged, so the opponent was completely blind. "Again." Gible shot me a mad look, apparently hating that move, but obeyed. The purple energy hit Burmy hard, possibly a critical hit, and he screeched an insect screech. His eyes closed and he hit the arena floor. He had fainted.

Worry and nervousness and excitement filled me all at once. Worry because Gible did _not_ have enough life to last the rest of the battle, nervousness because I really needed and wanted to win. Not just for my own satisfaction but because I was starting to get low on money and I needed the badge. And excitement because of the jolt of the battle. My heart raced throughout my chest and the sides of my lips turned up into a slight smile.

Serena called in her Pokémon and released her last. "Leafeon, defeat them!" The Pokémon was green and tan colored. It stood on four legs and looked very feline-like. It had a leaf as a tail and a leaf on the top of its head. Leafeon was one of the evolutions of Eevee, the Grass Form. You could see the veins pumping sheer energy through the leaves. This Pokémon was up in levels, and I would have a hard time defeating it.

The sandstorm lost most of its sand, but still swirled on. "Sand-Attack." I yelled. Gible used the move almost perfectly. _Practice makes perfect. _I thought. The Leafeon tried to shake off the sand, but failed to do so. "Take Down." I took a bet. If Gible could successfully use Take Down all the way through, Leafeon's life would be chopped down. But since the move takes a lot from Gible, she might faint through it.

Gible worked up anger and sprinted to the foe. She tackled Leafeon twice before falling to the floor. Gible growled and snarled and fought hard to stand back up. She worked her way into a sitting position.

"Finish her with Tackle!" Serena commanded. Leafeon gracefully pounced on Gible.

Gible met the ground again. She growled once before slipping into oblivion.

The breath caught in my throat. _No, I'm not supposed to lose. I'm going to be the Champion! _I felt like falling to the floor myself and crying, but I couldn't do that. I couldn't let all these people know how I dealt with defeat.

I returned my Pokémon. I noticed how Serena wasn't making any comments or even returning her Pokémon. _Why? Gible's fainted. _I thought. _She see's Hoothoot's Pokéball. _I took a bet. I grabbed Hoothoot and got ready to release him. One scenario, he would come out and beat Leafeon since he has the type advantage, the other scenario, he would come out and kill me. I released him.

The Pokéball flew out of my hand once I pressed the button. The ball opened on the floor and shot out light beams. Hoothoot appeared from the light. He crowed a few times, and turned his head completely around to view me. That was a little disturbing, but I just prepared myself for the worst. He examined me, then turned back around and awaited a command.

Unfortunately, Serena beat me to it. "Razor Leaf!" Leafeon made leaves appear in front of her, and then pushed them forward with her mind. Much like Magical Leaf, they pieced Hoothoot's skin. He crowed in pain but it didn't do too much damage.

I thought back to my quick battle with Hoothoot. He knew Peck, for one thing. "Okay Hoothoot, use Peck." He flew over to Leafeon and jabbed her with his beak.

"Sand-Attack." Leafeon spit sand on Hoothoot. He started to miss his attacks.

"Use… Anything else!" I shouted. Serena gave me a weird look, but I didn't care. I just needed to win. Hoothoot's eyes became a weird color, and Leafeon hit the ground. At first I thought she had fainted, but she had fallen asleep. Hoothoot had used Hypnosis.

Serena groaned. "You think you're clever, don't you?" She looked at her sleeping Pokémon. "Wake up, Leafeon! Please?"

"Peck, Hoothoot." Hoothoot obeyed. He pecked her on the side. There was no reaction. _What other moves? _I thought. "…Tackle?" My voice sounded unsure. Hoothoot rammed into Leafeon. "Tackle!" Now my voice rang with confidence. Hoothoot tackled the sleeping Pokémon again, but this time she sprang up and growled.

"Razor Leaf!" Leafeon used Razor Leaf. This time it was definitely a critical hit. The leaves circled around Hoothoot, who was hovering in air, and then they all spun into him. He cried out in pain and looked at me for a command.

"Peck then Tackle." I yelled. Hoothoot pecked Leafeon's face. She winced and started pawing at her nose. Then Hoothoot used Tackle. He knocked the rival to the ground. They both groaned, and then jumped back up.

"Tackle." Serena commanded. Leafeon jumped into the air and pushed my Pokémon down.

"Peck!" While Leafeon was still on top of him, Hoothoot pecked her again. He even scratched her and fought to push her off. Eventually she had enough and scurried back to her place on the other side of the arena. She shivered and panted of near-defeat. "Tackle her one last time." I said. Hoothoot flew over to her faster than I had ever seen him fly. He slammed into the foe with no hesitation. He was graceful and swift. He knocked her to the ground without falling with her. So he was still in the air when Leafeon struggled on the floor.

Leafeon's wispy, quick breaths turned deep and even as she closed her eyes. She accepted defeat, and I accepted victory.

I returned Hoothoot and a group of people surrounded me. They yelled and cheered for me.

"Hey, you won! You defeated her!" They yelled. Annie came over and joined in.

"Three cheers for Cynthia!" She shouted. I smiled at them all but kept pretty calm. Although inside I was jumping for joy.

The crowd made a path for Serena. She approached me with her head held high. She handed me two things. I accepted them with a 'Thank you' and looked at them. One of them was a badge. It was a green badge with trees painted on it. It was expertly painted and looked magnificent. The other was a wad of money. I didn't count it right then but instead stuffed it in my pocket.

"You won fairly and shown true strength." Serena said almost robotically.

"Thank you, Serena. You were a tough opponent, and maybe one day we can have a rematch."

"Maybe." She walked off. The group walked with her. They were all praising her and telling her things she wanted to hear.

"Why are they acting like that?" I asked Annie.

"Oh they respect their Leader and want to make her happy. You can see how she uses it though. She gets away with treating them like dirt, and all the while getting everything she wants."

"Why aren't you the Leader, Annie? Why do you put up with her?" I collected my items and walked out of the gym with her at my side.

"Because, I'm much too old. And it's sort of degrading to go from Sinnoh Champion to Leader. I help out Serena. She has tough enough Pokémon, and she's young, but I help out with the decisions for Eterna." Annie explained.

"What kind of decisions?"

"Such as Leaf Tower." She pointed to the giant tree in the distance. "It was my idea to turn it into a temple, but I sort if used Serena to do so. She gets the attention, I get to make Eterna a better place. Fair trade." Annie smiled. "Ready to go to Leaf Tower?"

"Sure, let's go." We walked towards the other side of Eterna.

The sun was dipping under Mt. Cornet and clouds started to cover the darkening sky. This was a familiar sight back at Celestic. I felt so close to home is made me sick. A nice breeze swirled around and made me shiver. The walk was longer than it looked. Leaf Tower, although seen from anywhere in Eterna, wasn't actually _in_ Eterna. It was on the outskirts.

"Cynthia, what made you want to become a trainer?" Annie asked. She tried to relieve the silence.

"My grandfather, really. I have always enjoyed Pokémon, so I decided to start my journey."

"Ah. That's nice. I was real close to my dad, he's who pushed me to become a trainer. Where you from?"

"Celestic."

"Celestic?" She echoed. "Wow, that's a ways away. Isn't it a small town?"

"Yes it is quite small. But it's quaint and nice."

"I bet you guys haven't had any problems with attacks, then." Annie muttered.

I shook my head. "No, we haven't been attacked. I don't think we will be."

"Hopefully those rebels won't see a need to bomb anywhere else."

"Rebels? You think the attackers are rebels?"

"It's a lot of rumors, but yes, I do. I think they're rebelling from Lea's laws. This is how they're acting out, so to speak." We arrived at the base of Leaf Tower. There was a man standing at the bottom of the staircase. "Show him your badge."

I got out my gym badge and showed it to him. He nodded and moved out of the way. I felt like I had just gotten accepted into a rare club.

We started on our walk up the stairs. It _really _tired you out and took a while. We continued our little chat about the rebels. I told her I thought it was Lea, and she just nodded in response.

Once we reached the top of the stairs the sun was already set. Even though you couldn't see the sun due to the branches and leaves. There was an entrance to go into the base of the tree. We walked into the tower. It was amazing. It was one huge room with a statue of Dialga and Palkia and paintings on the wall.

"This temple is dedicated to Pokémon. A lot of people come here for meditation." Annie explained.

"It's beautiful." I said. It was. It was unlike anything I had ever seen. I walked over to Dialga's statue. It wasn't like the one in the woods; this one was much bigger and had gold streaks through it. Palkia's had silver streaks running through it.

Then, something odd happened. While I was looking at a painting of three pink gems side-by-side, I felt the presence return. I heard whispers. I looked over my shoulder; Annie was at the Palkia statue. I kept calm. "Rrrrrrr, rrrrr, rrrr." I heard.

I felt wind at my ear. "Run. Run. Run."

I assumed I was going crazy, but I felt no fear. Overwhelming peace. "Run! Get out of there!" The voice whispered. Then, the peace was replaced with fear. Fear that ate at my soul; pure fear.

"Annie, we have to leave!" I yelled. I spun around; a few other people were in the tower. They looked at me weird.

"What?" Annie ran over to me.

"We need to get out of here!" I was having a panic attack. I grabbed her arm and ran towards the exit. "Everyone, run!" The other people followed behind us as we ran down the steps. Then I heard an explosion. I looked up. The top of the tree was on fire. There was another explosion. Fire lit up around us.

"We need to jump!" I yelled. The fire had started burning up the stairs.

"What?" Annie shrieked. I ignored her and pulled her with me.

I jumped off of the stairs just as another explosion went off around me.

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><p><strong>Authors Note: And with chapter ten, we get a new subtitle. "And Everything Came Crashing Down." With every ten chapters that'll change. I would also like to celebrate that I now have over 1500 hits! Thank you guys. You have made this so much fun.<strong>

**RoboMonkey2012: Actually, no. If I would have to pick something this is inspired by, it would probably be a bunch of books that I was reading when I started writing this. None of them was The Hunger Games. But I guess I see where you thought that. Thank you for all the encouragement! I wasn't going to quit this story, I never quit stories that I've posted on here and gained readers from. So you have nothing to worry about. Except maybe my slow updates... But... I'm working on that. Thanks for the offer about the drawing, but I would like to decline. Nothing personal, and it's not the drawing. Anyways, thanks for reading! **

**WhiteSkyZach: This may be hard to understand, but my intent was for it to click in your head without me coming out and saying it. Does that make sense? So yes, the fact you got it was good. And the character thing, it was bugging me that one of the slots was empty, and Volkner is going to play a part later, (Spoiler! Oops, I'm too late. Oooh well.) but I haven't _really_ decided if there's going to be romance there. I guess you'll just have to wait and see? Some things I have figured out and the smaller things aren't all together yet. Never fear, they'll all come together soon! And I'm trying to speed things up. I'm trying to get to gyms quicker (Not through them quicker, _to_ them quicker) but the story-line gets so huge and jumpy sometimes. It really does have a mind of its own. But, soon I will get inspiration and get the next chapter out soon and get regular again! Thanks for reading **


	12. Complicated

_Chapter Eleven: Complicated_

_And Everything Came Crashing Down _

I felt fire around me as I jumped through the air. I had Annie's wrist in my hand and was pulling her with me. She screamed, but I didn't. I jumped on sheer instinct. It's like the voices got inside of me. Maybe they were inside of me from the start, or maybe I was just overly crazy. Like the sculptor: I heard voices and whispers, I found myself liking the peace the whisperer brought and I started to trust it. I started to wish they were around more. Maybe I was becoming a loon without even _really_ noticing. I didn't know. I was clueless, but all the while I had instinct telling me what was going on.

* * *

><p>My heart pumped with adrenaline. The jump wasn't a long one, but I landed on my feet and then on my knees. Annie was not as lucky, her fall was worse. She landed flat on her stomach. Huge groups of people were around us watching the tower turn to ashes. Some were even crying. Two of the four people running with us didn't jump and continued to run down the stairs. They ended up ashes too. The other two jumped. One with a few injuries, the other fine like me. It was adrenaline and fright that made us all run so fast. We were more than halfway down the stairs when we jumped, that didn't make the fall so bad. All of us spent a night in the Center. We were okay. Annie turned out to have bad rib injuries and a broken shoulder, but she thanked me many times for saving her. Everyone thanked me. But I knew that <em>I<em> didn't know that the temple was being bombed. The whisperer knew. That's the person I thank.

The days passed quickly. My night in the Pokémon Center was eventless. I caught up on much needed sleep and a shower. The next day I spent with Sally and Oliver. Sally fed me, which was nice, and even helped me wash my clothes in her wash basin. I trained a bit with Oliver in Eterna Forest. He only had one Pokémon so he helped me come up with strategies. During that time, my Bidoof had finally evolved into Bibarel. With the money I had won from the gym battle, I stocked up on food and bought a few Great Pokéballs. Apparently they were better Pokéballs used for catching higher-in-levels Pokémon.

I was in Eterna for a total of three days after the bombing. I helped clean up and talked with Annie and Serena a bit. Annie was working on making up another 'shrine' for Dialga and Palkia. So she was very busy with Serena. On my last day I woke up early. Sally cooked up some breakfast. It was a berry tart and _very_ delicious. I sent Grandmother a letter telling her I was safe and such. I stopped by Annie's house and said goodbye to her. She checked out my egg again. She said to keep an eye on it because it would hatch soon. With that, I was off.

Oliver accompanied me as I traveled through Eterna Forest. He was my guide again. He insisted to come with me. He said I would be lost without him. So I didn't complain, even though I really wanted to. Don't get me wrong, I liked Oliver. But I would have chosen someone else to be with me.

We were nearing the end of the forest. I had said little to Oliver through the walk. He just joked around. He had a serious look on his face and stopped walking.

"What?" I asked. There were hints of annoyance in my voice.

"I just don't get you."

"_Get_ me? What's not to get? I'm not complicated."

"Oh yes, you are. _You_ may not think so, but you are. Cynthia, you saved people from being blown up. You thought you were attacked by a Hoothoot. You're just… Unreadable." He ran his hand through his brown and green-tinted hair.

"Thanks?" I bit my lip. What was I supposed to say? There was no logical answer. I sighed. "Things are complicated. I guess I _am_ complicated. Here's the thing, I was really pecked and scratched on my hands. There was a horrible blooded mess! I grabbed leaves so the blood wouldn't get everywhere. When you checked my hands and there was nothing, I was dumbfounded, to say the least. Because I did see the blood, the mess, the attack with my own eyes! Do you believe me?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I do. Because I think you're an honest person… And I don't know why you would lie about that anyways… But it's just hard to believe it. How did you save those people? How did you know?"

I shrugged. "I didn't."

He shook his head. "I mean, I don't know _who_ did it, somebody who has been attacking most of the towns has to be familiar with Sinnoh…And you're a trainer and you travel—"

"Wait, wait, wait. You think _I_ did it?"

"Not necessarily. Do you have any idea who did it? I mean you've been around."

I scoffed. "You really know how to complement a girl, don't you? You know what? I think I can make my way out of the forest _alone_ now." I stomped off.

"Hey!" He grabbed my shoulder.

I spun around. "What do you want Oliver?"

"I didn't mean it like that! I meant you've traveled around."

"I did not bomb anything. You just said I was an honest person, why would you even _think,_ uhg!" I felt like pulling my hair out.

"Hey, I believe you. Don't stress! I don't like stressed Cynthia." He smirked. I glared at him. I felt like yelling a little more, mostly because I didn't know how to deal with the bottled-up mess called my feelings, but Oliver had a strange look on his face.

"What now?" I asked. Annoyance clear.

He cocked his head to the side and looked out to the forest. I turned around and looked. I didn't see anything, but I tuned into the forest and listened.

Wind blowing leaves. They made a rattling sound as they shivered on the branches. A buzz of a bug somewhere hidden in the shadows. A caw of a bird overhead. Oliver breathing behind me, my own breath.

But there was something else, something far-off.

Talking. Leaves cracking.

I looked over my shoulder at Oliver. He stood very still, head cocked, eyes steady. He sensed something was off. "You hear that?" I whispered. He nodded.

I felt the presence. The whisperer returned. Like I did with Annie, I kept cool as it whispered in my ear. "Go."

One word. That's all it took. I started sprinting out into the forest, Oliver right on my heels. The presence gone, it only stuck with me for one word. I knew exactly where I was going.

The statue. We came to the cabin, the other two statues in sight. We were headed to the statue clearing. The statue with the poem. The trees around it were blazing. We were just gaping at it. We were dazed.

"No!" Oliver screamed. He tried to run into the flames, but I grabbed him. "Let me go!"

"Oliver, calm down! It's gone!"

"It _can't be_." He dropped to his knees. It was obvious Oliver felt connected to the statues too, but for a different reason. I was connected on a much powerful level; he was connected because it cleared his head and brought peace.

I dropped down next to Oliver and put my arm over his shoulder. The presence returned. I heard weird sounds in my head. Possibly the whisperer was weeping.

_Did you do this? _I asked in my head. By doing this, I felt like I opened some door that is supposed to be sealed. Some door that let something all-too powerful in.

"No." I heard.

_Do you know who did this? _

"Yes."

_Would you tell me? _

"Do not be fooled. Think, think. You already know."

_What?_ The presence left.

"This is so wrong! Who would do this to my town? My town is great! The temple hasn't hurt anybody… And this statue is artwork!" Oliver stood up. His breathing was normal.

"I think we both know this statue was more than that." I said.

He nodded. "You're right." He sighed. "I guess I always knew that. I have been drawn—hey!" He yelled. He pushed passed me and looked into the depths of the forest. I went to his side and peered into the shadows. I saw a group of people in brown cloaks sprinting away. They all had their hoods up over their heads. "Hey!" Oliver yelled again. I grabbed him before he could chase after them.

"It's not worth it, you'll get hurt!"

"_How_ could I get anymore hurt, Cynthia? They've hurt my family! You know what's going to happen? Because of the bombing, we citizens are going to have to pay some sort of tax. That's going to hurt my sister. She works anywhere she can get paid, and we still struggle. If she didn't have the garden, we would all be dead. Me, Ray, Caylie and Sally. But now, what will happen?" He was_ very_ worked up.

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. What was I supposed to say? I had nothing comforting to say. "I don't know." Comfort wasn't anything I was good at.

He sighed then shook his head. He was calming down. We turned around and faced the other two statues. Our eyes bugged out of our heads when we saw them. They were slowly crumbling to the ground. Eventually they were nothing but rocks with a pink gem on top. Oliver walked over and reached for one. The tips of his fingers touched the pink jewel. "Hey!" He yelled and pulled back his hand quickly. He blew on his fingertips. "They're… Hot?"

"What?" I walked over to one. You could see energy pulsing through it.

"It's like it's alive."

I studied it. It was a rare and expensive jewel that had power of sorts. "How did our little friend afford these?" I pointed back to the cabin.

"I don't know." Oliver shrugged. "Possessed people could have connections, right?"

I scoffed. "He wasn't possessed."

"_Sure._ He just talked to 'other' things."

"No, he—" Then it hit me like a rock. He talked to the things the statues represented, which were Pokémon. "Pokémon, he talked to Pokémon." I shot up. _Does that mean I talk to Pokémon? _

"What? You're freaking me out!"

"In those entries we read, it said that our friend got to see the models for these statues, and the statues were Pokémon, right?"

"Yeah. And?"

"So he wasn't possessed, Pokémon just talked to him!" I was smiling and I had _way_ too much enthusiasm in my voice.

"Cynthia, I don't think you understand, that means he _was_ possessed."

I sighed. "You're right… Right?"

"I think so." He let out a nervous laugh. "You're complicated, you know that?" I couldn't help but laugh at my own ridiculousness.

We studied the gems again. They were way too hot to be touched. Soon we got our bearings together and left for the end of Eterna Forest.

On the way to the end we talked about the statues. Oliver had calmed down instantly. He really didn't seem like a livid person. We exited the forest quickly.

Oliver turned towards me and smirked. "You're going to beat those gyms. Don't worry. The way you trained the other day was like a true, strong trainer."

"Thank you." I smiled. "I guess we both kind of got dragged into the statue mystery, didn't we?"

"Yeah, yeah." He laughed. "I'll stay here with my family, but I'll be sure to write you once I find out more about the statues and the bombers."

I nodded. "And I will do the same. Who knows, maybe if we put out heads together we can figure this out."

"There's no 'maybe' to it, we _will_ figure it out."

I smiled. "Thank you for being my guide."

He bowed. "At your service anytime. I am _zé _tour guide of Eterna Forest. Actually, only _your_ tour guide." He laughed and ran his hand through his hair.

I laughed and rolled my eyes. "Goodbye, Oliver." I grinned and walked off toward Floaroma.

"See you, Cynthia." He waved before walking back into the forest.

Sweet freedom didn't come fast enough. I was on my own again. No one was 'guiding' me or anything. I was completely alone.

I let out Bibarel, my newly evolved Pokémon, so he could carry the egg pouch on his bag. Bibarel was much bigger; his fur was longer and curlier, his legs were noticeably stronger. He didn't have any problems carrying the bag. I enjoyed having my Pokémon around with me. I let Budew out from her Pokéball and she sat on Bibarel's back. I laughed at them; they acted like brother and sister sometimes. Unfortunately, Gible didn't feel that way towards her fellow Pokémon. Or to me for that matter.

After walking a bit, I came upon a pond. Buizel were resting on the water's edge and fish were splashing around on the surface. I stopped and looked at the Pokémon. They were so peaceful and harmless. Why would Lea treat them so badly?

A Psyduck crawled out of the water. It waddled towards me. I gave it a strange look. This was either going to be like Budew, or like Hoothoot.

Then the Pokémon growled and cocked its head. "No, no. I mean no harm." I put my hands up. The Psyduck kept staring at me and I got nervous. I grabbed the bag from Bibarel. "Tackle." Bibarel quickly tackled the Psyduck. It backed away, but then looked deep into Bibarel's eyes. He fell over and started rolling around. "Bibarel?" He stopped rolling and jumped up. "Rollout." I commanded. Bibarel tried to use Rollout, but completely missed. That's when I realized he was confused.

"You know Confusion, huh? How about we make this fun." I said to the rival Pokémon. I returned Bibarel and looked at Budew. She had jumped up on my shoulder. "Ready to battle?" She jumped down and squeaked happily.

"Budew, Mega Drain." Budew used the move almost flawlessly. Psyduck cried out and then collapsed to the ground. While it was down, I threw a Great Ball at it. The ball shook a few times, then 'dinged.' I knew I had caught the Pokémon. I picked up the ball. "Welcome to the team."

I trained a bit with Psyduck to familiarize myself with its moves. I also brought out Hoothoot, Bibarel and Budew. Eventually I tried Gible. To my surprise we all made great progress. I learned Gible knew a new move. And the best thing: Budew evolved. She was battling Bibarel and was doing quite well, and then light surrounded her. She materialized into a beautiful Roselia. She had what looked like a crown on her head and she walked very regal. Her roses, or hands, were just buds, but I knew they would bloom soon. You could tell she had toxins and poisons pumping throughout her body. She was much, much stronger then she was before. And she could only get stronger.

Hoothoot was getting stronger and he stopped trying to attack me. He would evolve soon also. All my Pokémon impressed me. They were _my_ Pokémon, _my_ team.

I left Bibarel out of his ball so he could carry the egg again. The egg was very heavy, and it moved around a lot. I was excited to see what would hatch from the egg.

I journeyed through Floaroma and Jubilife in all of one day. By the time I was standing in the white building in the Golden Cities the sun was setting. I had traveled all day long. My ankles were killing me and the man at the desk wasn't helping.

"Name, please." He said.

"Cynthia Everheart."

His head shot up. "Cynthia? As in the trainer?"

"Yes?"

"Oh my! Everyone here loves you! Everyone was so happy to hear you beat Eterna's gym, now you're here to beat out gym!" He squealed.

I fake smiled. "Thank you. No if you don't mind I am quite tired so—"

"Right, right, right." He quickly filled out the form and typed things on the electronic pad. "You're free to go. I'll be watching the battle, I'm rooting for you!"

I nodded and walked through the doorway. As soon as I exited, the crowded streets of Hearthrome greeted me. I heard someone yell my name, and then everyone turned towards me.

"Cynthia! Cynthia!" They all yelled. I couldn't help but grin; they were all cheering _my_ name.

_Soon, this is how it will always be. _I thought. And that couldn't have been truer.

[7]

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><p><strong>Authors Note:<strong> And TCB has a cover photo! It's just the name with some stars, as you can see, but that's the 'cover' I had on the document. Better then nothing. Also, I have a poll on my profile totally not related to this story, but if you guys would like to vote, please do.

Ah, the plot thickens. You guys may have thought 'Filler chapter' but this was actually _very_ important! Let's just say that a chapter very soon will be a _HUGE _chapter! Not in length (Although that may be huge too) but in importance. At first I didn't want you guys to say what you think is happening, but now I'm sitting at the edge of my seat wondering... Be nice, tell me what you think!

Thanks for reading! And don't forget to drop a review while you're at it.


	13. Famous

_Chapter Twelve: Famous_

_And Everything Came Crashing Down _

I awoke with a yawn and crawled out of bed. Before I stood up I felt the silk sheets one last time. Deep inside I liked the luxuries of the Golden Cities, but I would never dare say it.

I ended the day before with hard training. I knew I would have a huge disadvantage with Fantina's collection of Ghost and Dark Types. She was voted Gym Leader, rather unfairly in my mind, because she was a Super Contest champion and knew much about Pokémon. She is a year younger than I, being the youngest Gym Leader of Sinnoh.

I started my day with a shower, fresh clothes and breakfast the Center provided. Then I was off to the Pokémon Park where I could train some more.

* * *

><p>I was at my own section of the park, apparently the other people came to the park to walk their Pokémon and not train, so they asked me to move to a more secluded section. I did, but I stomped my feet with every step.<p>

I had trained a lot with Hoothoot and Bibarel. I learned that Bibarel knew Water Gun, which I knew would come in handy, and was on the brink of learning Headbutt. Hoothoot was also making progress. He was growing quickly. From experience I knew that meant he was going to evolve soon. He was getting tall rapidly, he almost stood as tall as my shoulders.

When I finally started training with Gible, she about mastered Sand Tomb. Now her moves were Dragon Rage, Sandstorm, Take Down and Sand Tomb. She also had grown from when I first trained her with Ellena.

I trained with Psyduck and Roselia also. Psyduck was becoming one of my strongest Pokémon, although they were all pretty tough. For some reason he just stuck to me like a leaf on a tree, and he always stared at me with huge eyes. My Pokémon egg was extremely close to hatching. It moved quite a bit, and had started to crack slightly. I was anxious to know what Pokémon would hatch from the faintly blue egg.

After my training I went and picked up some Pokébread for lunch. I went back to the park and shared it with my Pokémon. It was nice to have some money for good food. I ate my piece of bread and laid back and relaxed in the sun of Hearthrome. The clouds lingered in the same spot forever. Sometimes one would get hit by a gust of wind and mash into another cloud, pushing both of them across the baby blue blanket. They were all huge, plushy clouds. So unlike the wispy fog-clouds back in Celestic.

Bibarel sat about a foot away from me. He was eating a bush and pulling at the grass. Roselia was sitting against me napping, and Psyduck was staring at me while sitting on my knees. _Creepy little duck. _I thought. Hoothoot was flapping his wings and hovering around. Gible was pouting in her Pokéball for now.

I was ready, or at least I thought I was. I was extremely confident that I could go and battle Fantina. I gathered my things and dropped the unneeded items back at the Center, then took my Pokémon over to the Gym. I walked through the long streets of the Golden City in waves of people. All along the way people stopped me and said how much they loved me. It was so weird to be known by people other than the twenty from Celestic. I was famous in a weird way.

A strange thought came to mind: Lea knew who I was. That made me feel odd. To know that an evil man such as Lea knows who I am. _Maybe he even has spies watching my every move._ _But Lea has better things to do. _Did he? He hadn't had a challenger in forever, so he didn't have to train, what does he do all day? _What would I be doing all day as the champion? He has to be busy with Sinnoh; I mean he has a region to look after. He isn't doing that good of a job… So he must have nothing to do. _I instinctively studied the groups around me. They were all normal Golden City folk. (I never thought I would call the Golden's 'normal') I was getting use to the insanity called their style, but I would die before wearing any of it.

Still, the thought lingered. Lea probably saw my battle on television, he'll be watching this battle, and he really might have people following me._ If so, then he knows all about Sake and Ellena's illegal escaping from Oreburgh by a secret tunnel in the mines, and them slipping through electric fences. And he would have put a stop to it by now. _That made me feel better.

I made it to the gym. It was huge. I thought Eterna's gym was big, but it was very small in comparison. This was a huge circle arena. It had painted purple beams and pillars and gold walls. It was a huge coliseum.

I entered the arena. There were multiple battle fields. Each one was empty. In fact, the room was empty.

"Cynthia?" I heard in the perfect Golden accent.

I turned around to meet a young girl facing me. She had long purple hair tied in a fashionable bun and a huge pink dress on. The average Golden. "Yes. Are you Fantina?"

"Oh yes, I am Fantina, _zé_ Ghost Type Specialist! And you are my challenger, _zé_ Young Trainer Cynthia! I am very _excité _for our battle. Come, come. Let us go to the real battle area!" Fantina chirped. She grabbed my arm and pulled me across the room and into an elevator. It was a quick ride to the second floor. Once the large, gold doors opened, they revealed a huge battle field. It took up the whole floor. And it was purple.

Fantina squealed. "Let us begin, Young Trainer Cynthia!" She about sprinted to the host side, and I took my time as I walked to the challenger side.

I gave myself an in-mind pep-talk like I did before every battle. _You can do it, you have trained, and you are ready, Young Trainer Cynthia! _I smirked. I looked around at the cheering crowd. Some cheered me on, and some cheered Fantina on. I didn't want to disappoint them, but I was confident.

I waited for Fantina to release her Pokémon. It felt weird to stand there being gawked at by every person, and television camera, in the room. I was use to getting engrossed in the game.

Fantina finally released her Pokémon. "_Andate é la battaglia_, Drifloon!" A purple, floating balloon-like Pokémon came out. It was small, had two string-like legs and an 'X' on its face.

"Go, Roselia." I released my Pokémon. She came out and twirled around. I rolled my eyes, but she looked strong.

"Drifloon Gust." The foe lifted up his arms, and a puff of air brushed past Roselia. She wobbled a bit and almost lost her balance, but gathered herself well.

"Mega Drain." I commanded. Roselia extended her invisible hand and sucked the energy from Drifloon. Drifloon made a weird sound of pain, but didn't show any hurt.

"Payback!" Fantina spun around in a circle just like Roselia. The rival started spinning rapidly. He spun to my Pokémon then hit her hard. Roselia collided with the ground and whined in pain. With shaking legs she stood back up. The crowd cheered.

"Magical Leaf." I yelled. Roselia held her arms out and colorful leaves appeared. They spun around her, gaining speed and multiplying, and then they shot to Drifloon. They pieced his skin. He yelped, but still nothing happened.

"Gust again." Fantina called. Drifloon used the move Gust. Roselia was hit with the air. She fell to the ground hard.

"Come on Grass Type! You can do it." I yelled. But Roselia wasn't getting back up. I returned her and grabbed Bibarel. "Bibarel, bring your all." Bibarel materialized and got in the battle stance. He growled then turned towards me. "Rollout, now." He focused, and then rolled to the foe. He smashed into him multiple times. On the fourth hit, Drifloon fell to the ground.

"Do not claim victory, I have more! _Continuiamo_." She released another Pokémon. "Haunter, _lotta bene_." A purple Ghost Pokémon came out. It had a floating head and hands. It was grinning wildly, and rather evilly.

"Bibarel, Headbutt." He sprinted to the rival and headbutted it perfectly. Haunter was pushed back, but didn't show that he took too much damage.

"Shadow Punch." Haunter grinned widely then disappeared.

"Be on guard." I warned. "Be ready to dodge."

"_Obtenez de l'arrière_." Fantina yelled.

A purple fist appeared behind Bibarel. "Dodge!" I yelled, but it was too late. The fist punched Bibarel to the ground. He growled and stood back up. The Haunter appeared back in his place across the arena.

The crowd cheered. They were loud but I was focused. "Water Gun." Bibarel shot water from his mouth and onto Haunter. The Pokémon cried out as the liquid hit his face. "Now Rollout." Bibarel rolled to the foe.

"Dodge _zé _attack." Haunter disappeared and avoided the move, making Bibarel roll and crash into a wall.

I glared at Fantina, but she didn't react. "Use Water Gun again." I said through clenched teeth. Bibarel shot water at Haunter. "Headbutt." He ran to the opponent and hit him. Haunter was thrust backward. He fell to the floor and let out some weird cry. But nonetheless, he got back up.

"Sucker Punch." Fantina chirped. Haunter flew to Bibarel and punched him with a black, blazing with energy fist. "Shadow Punch." Haunter disappeared.

I didn't try to say anything, this time it happened _so_ fast. The fist appeared and punched my Pokémon. It was possibly a critical hit and it knocked out Bibarel. The crowd cheered and yelled at the same time. "Yeah Fantina! Oh no, Cynthia!" I would hear.

I returned Bibarel and got Psyduck's Pokéball. I hit the button; it popped open and landed at my feat. Psyduck formed from the light. "Go Psyduck."

"Young Trainer Cynthia, I am not sure who holds the upper hand here, but I do know we must be tied, no?" She laughed good-heartedly.

I ignored her. "Water Pulse." Psyduck focused and sent out pulsations of water. They slapped Haunter hard on the face, and he fell to the ground. An instant faint.

Fantina returned her Pokémon. "Oh_ ciel_! What is this? My final Pokémon?" She wiped her face clean of any worry. "_Je vais l'emporter_ and you will not."

_What is she even saying? _"Now I have the upper hand, Fantina. I would be worried if I were you."

"Worries and Fantina no mix, Trainer. So you are not me." Fantina chided. She tossed her last Pokéball in the air. A weird Pokémon came out. It was a black, hovering skull Pokémon. Fantina said something in another language. I only heard 'Duskull.'

"Psyduck, Water Gun." My Pokémon used Water Gun perfectly. Unfortunately, Duskull didn't seem affected.

"Astonish _mes _Pokémon." Duskull started to screech wildly. It flew over to my petrified Pokémon and ran into him. Psyduck fell down and let out a cry. He shook his head and jumped back up. "Shadow Sneak." Fantina yelled. A dark shadow appeared under the floating Pokémon. It traveled over to Psyduck.

"Dodge it." Psyduck jumped away, but the shadow struck too soon. It leapt up and hit my Water Type. He fell to the ground and landed right on his face. He stood up and spun around, facing the rival Pokémon. "Confusion!" Psyduck concentrated. I noticed his eyes turning a purple color. They were mesmerizing. I just wanted to keep staring, staring and staring. Then I mentally slapped myself in the face. _Stop it! Get your head in the game. _I thought. I shook my head and focused. Duskull was hovering in circles. Good.

"You think that a simple, _astuce _will bring me and my Pokémon to our _finale_?" Fantina laughed.

"…Yes." I said. I was unsure, but sounded pretty confident… I think.

She continued to laugh. "_Vous êtes malade, dans l'esprit_!"

"Okay." I blinked. "Psyduck, Water Pulse." My Pokémon sent water zooming at Duskull. In his state, he could not dodge, and Psyduck could not miss. It was a perfect hit. It sent Duskull flying through the air. He rocketed over Fantina and smashed into the far wall. A camera man had to duck out of the way. I grinned. This had to be the final knockout.

"Duskull, no!" Fantina whimpered. She pouted her lip and sighed. I took that as a good sign… On my behalf.

I waited. Duskull wasn't moving, and then he floated up. His jaw was separated from his floating body, but it levitated and reattached. "Psyduck—" Wasn't quick enough.

"Shadow Sneak!" Fantina called. Duskull grinned and almost _laughed_. Then the round, black shadow underneath him dashed towards Psyduck. It was like lightning. It shot through the arena then collided with Psyduck. My Pokémon, being dense, didn't even try to dodge or act like it was waiting for a command. That was something to add to the 'down side' column.

Psyduck fell to the ground with the shadow lingering under it. Duskull squawked and the shadow ran back under its master. My Pokémon stood up slowly. His legs were trembling. He was wincing.

"Astonish." Duskull started screeching and screaming. His eyes grew wild, he dashed to Psyduck. He crashed into the Water Type and sent him to the ground again. This time I knew he wasn't going to get up. I returned him. I chose my last Pokémon carefully.

_No need to bring out Gible. Let's try Hoothoot and see if that evolve moment is going to come. _I thought. "Go Hoothoot." He came out of the ball. He crowed and 'hooted' a bit before turned his head around (Still scary) and awaited his command.

"Shadow Sneak again." Fantina yelled. Although she was losing, she had on a smile. It looked like she had mastered the ultra confident thing.

Her Pokémon used the move. The shadow darted to Hoothoot. It seeped beneath him. Nothing happened. I grinned. He was immune.

Then the next best thing happened. Light beams shot out of Hoothoot. He started to morph into something great, into something better. He shifted back and forth. Hoothoot, Noctowl, Hoothoot, Noctowl.

"Simply_ magnifique_!" Fantina was caught in the spellbinding light. It was beautiful. Soon, Hoothoot fully evolved into Noctowl.

"Alright Noctowl, Peck!" The huge bird flapped his wings and glided to Duskull. He used Peck hard on the skull Pokémon. The foe crashed to the ground. His jaw bone fell off again, and his forehead cracked. Fantina returned him. She smiled and started walking towards me.

I returned Noctowl and took long strides. Victory was a warm and amazing feeling. I met her in the middle of the field. She reached her hand out, I shook it. The crowd was in uproar. She gave me the badge. "Never give up, never surrender. You're fantastically strong! _Si deve andare lontano_." She gave me a bow.

"Thank you Fantina. I will take that advice and use it." I smiled.

* * *

><p>I left the arena with a lot of satisfaction. I went back to the Center to relax a bit, but unfortunately my plans weren't going to work out that way.<p>

I walked into the Pokémon Center and was greeted by Constance and her makeup crew. "Blondie!" She chirped. She hugged me. I just awkwardly patted her back.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked. No, I didn't sound friendly, but whatever.

"We aren't _guys_, thank you." The all-too-familiar voice said. I looked passed Constance. Sure enough, there stood Maxina smirking. "Happy to see me?" She walked up to me and crossed her arms. She thought she looked intimidating, but really a short girl trying to be tall with six-inch heels, ridiculous _purple_ hair and matching ball gown was the complete opposite. Fantina was the only one who could look acceptable in purple.

"Yeah, ecstatic. Practically blissful." I growled.

"Whoa there, down girl." Constance laughed nervously. "Anyways, the reason why we're here is because we need to get you ready for tonight."

I blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You are having dinner with a bunch of important people." She started twirling her finger around in my hair. It reminded me too much of Jamie and her compulsive hair-twirl when she was in-thought. It stung me.

I brushed the thought away and shook my head. Constance sighed and took the hint. "Sorry." She murmured.

"Who are the 'important' people?" I asked.

"Come on, let's go back up to your room and discuss this." Constance dragged me to my room on the third floor. I used the card key and opened the door. Everyone filed in and started setting up things that would soon put me in torture. I groaned. "Oh stop it Blondie. It isn't that bad!"

"Constance, really, what is this dinner? Why do I have to go?"

She pushed me over to a chair and sat me down. "This dinner is going to be with a judge from the contests, a few people from Jubilife Broadcasting, Maxina, Fantina of course, some people from the League, and other famous people."

"Will Lea be there?"

"No, no. With the attacks he doesn't think he should leave his post. But other important people of his will be there. Since he can't meet you he's sending his best workers to instead." Her crew began raking through my hair.

"This dinner isn't… For _me_, right?" My stomach balled up.

"Yes it is. It's a celebration, you should be happy. Everyone wants to meet the latest trainer who has made it this far." I peeked at Maxina, she rolled her eyes.

I felt sick. The last thing I wanted was to meet a bunch of Golden's, and whatever Lea's people were, and have dinner with them. What would they say if I didn't eat meat? "Cynthia, why haven't you touched your Goldeen and Bidoof?" "Because I am against non-vegetarianism, unlike you who eat the stuff every day." "Oh… Then we'll have to kill you." Okay, maybe that was farfetched, but it still made me nervous.

"Do I have to go?" I whined to Constance.

"Yes! You'd be stupid to miss this. You need to meet these people. And getting on Lea's good side could have its perks, right?" _No. _

"I can't excuse myself after meeting everyone and then bolt?"

"Absolutely not. Enjoy yourself. I'll be in another room eavesdropping the whole time, so if you want a break come find me. Plus Maxina will be there."

I looked over at her. She grinned. "Yep, sitting right beside you."

"Joy." I muttered.

All the ladies worked on my hair and face. Constance brought a black dress with silver on it, and I was thankful. I didn't want an orange mess like the dress she was going to make me wear last time. I didn't want the horror of looking at myself in the mirror, so I just left the room with Maxina and Constance without sneaking a peak.

We didn't have to walk far to get to the Dining Hall. It was on the opposite side of town from the Contest Hall. If there weren't so many huge building in the way, you would see the Contest Hall looking directly at you through a window.

The three of us walked up to the front door where many guards stood. They had to use the same electronic pad that was used in the white building in order to let us in. I felt fancy, but _so_ out of place.

The first huge room was a ballroom of sorts. It had stone floors and walls, and on the ceiling was a mural of a building surrounded by puffy clouds and flying Pokémon.

"What is that building?" I whispered to Constance. The building was dull and gray, nothing you would see in a Golden City.

"That's the League building." She whispered back. Her accent at its finest, or fakest.

"_That's _the building? I would expect it to match the Golden Cities."

"No, Lea likes it like that. It used to be very pretty. There use to be flowers _everywhere_ and statues and fountains, that's the way Annie had it. Now there's only one private garden." Constance shrugged. "It's the way Lea wants it."

_Right. Sinnoh is the way Lea wants it, isn't it? _We walked out in the middle of the room, as Maxina suggested, and then a person walked up to us.

"Hello there Maxina!" It was an older man with gray hair and a black suit. He grabbed Maxina's hand and kissed it. "And you must be Cynthia, my oh my, what a beauty you are!" He grabbed my hand. His grasp was tight, and that made me uncomfortable, and he brought it up to his lips and kissed it for much too long. I was overly grossed out, but Maxina looked at me in a way that was almost jealousy. I just smiled and said hello to Mister Creep.

"I am Georgo Clank, I own a few buildings and businesses here and in Jubilife. So, how many gyms do you plan to challenge, my dear?" He stood _way too close _to me. In my head I had a restraining order of at least three feet, he was about a foot away and slightly leaned his face towards me. I subtly took a step back.

_What kind of question is that? Doesn't everyone shoot for all of them? _"I hope to make it through all of the gyms, sir."

"Do you now? Say, that's a pretty big goal." He wiggled his finger in front of him, as if expressing 'don't do that' to me.

"Not necessarily. I train a lot, and apparently enough since I've made it this far." I shrugged.

He chuckled. "Young girls and their big dreams. But I dreamed big, and look at me!" He gestured towards himself. He was a plump, short old man. What did that mean? "I'm rich and famous." He sounded disappointed that no one said that for him. "And you're a famous, beautiful young lady… You'll make it in this world somehow." He smiled at me and looked me up and down. I wanted to throw up, so I just turned to Constance.

"Constance, why don't you introduce me to that person you have been talking about?" I asked. I raised my eyebrows, hoping that would help.

She cocked her head at me. "Sure, he's over here." She started walking to a large group of people. Maxina stayed back to talk to the creep.

I stayed to Constance's side. "Thank you so much." I whispered. "That guy is a disturbing, bizarre man."

She shook her head. "He's important, that's what counts, right?"

I gave her a weird look. "No." Just then more people approached. This time it was three men in business suits with woman on their arms. They were more rich people who owned businesses. Once they moved on to talk to other people, I turned to Constance. "I thought this was supposed to be really important people, how come I haven't met Lea's workers yet?"

"Anyone who is important will make sure they're fashionably late. They won't arrive until dinner."

"Why didn't we do that? I'm important, right?" _Wow, that's odd. Thinking of myself as 'important' and 'famous.' _I thought.

"You're the reason this party was put together, you're supposed to be on time. Don't worry, not all these people will be having dinner. Most of them will leave, the servants will be excused to the sitting rooms, the children and family will leave. This is just mingle time."

"Will you have to be excused to a sitting room?" I thought that was ridiculous.

"Yes. I'm considered your servant. That's why I'm dressed like this." She gestured to her outfit. She was wearing a long black skirt and a blue sweater. I didn't think she looked bad. "In case you, Miss Unfashionable, can't figure it out, I'm not suppose to look better then you. All these horribly dressed people are servants, here to accompany their 'masters' and obey them like Pokémon." She scoffed. "Don't expect me to get you a drink or massage your shoulders. If you have hair problems, then we'll talk."

"Agreed." I said. As much as I didn't understand Constance, I still had more respect for her than that. She pushed me over to the large group of people. I was _way_ out of my element. I wasn't the type of person to just approach people, especially a group, and talk.

With shaking knees I walked up to these people. Each one of them turned and stared at me.

"You're Cynthia." One lady said. She wore a much too tight dress and her white hair in a bun, but wasn't old enough to have naturally white hair. She grinned. "You're like, the best trainer ever!" She chirped, half-losing her accent.

"Yes, I am Cynthia. And thank you." I forced a smile. After that the whole group started asking me questions. I became the center of attention. I didn't like it, but I didn't hate it either. Others joined the huge group and started talking to me, and soon Maxina came over. She acted like my best friend most of the time, which was annoying considering she was doing it for attention. She wasn't getting any.

I got overwhelmed soon and pulled Constance away. "Why'd you do that? They love you! When Lea's workers come and are asking everyone about you, they'll say nothing but great things." She said.

"Because, I'm starting to hate people bombarding me."

"Please, it's an honor. Why can't you wrap your pretty little head around that?"

I sighed. I didn't know how I felt about that. Only Golden's thought I was famous, everybody else could care less. So I should not have liked it, but in a way, I did.

Maxina joined us. "I must say, they like you. Too bad they don't know what's really in there." I rolled my eyes. "Constance, get me a drink, will you? Something sweet."

Constance glared at her. "Your legs don't work?"

Maxina looked offended, which was the opposite of the situation. "_Excuse_ me? If I walked over there and got my own drink, you know what people would say? They would say horrible things, Constance. You're the servant, act like one!" She spit.

Constance fumed. "Whatever you say, _Master_." She muttered through clenched teeth. Maxina smiled.

"Constance, wait." I said. She turned around to face me. Maxina glared at me. "You don't have to get _her_ a drink, you're here with me."

"She's here for both of us idiot!" Maxina growled.

I gave her a mad look. "You know what? I'm going to get Constance and me a drink."

"You can't do that." Maxina grabbed my arm as I walked away. This made many eyes look our way.

We both noticed the eyes. Maxina let go and smiled thinly, I did the same. "Why can't I get a drink?" I whispered.

"Because, if they see you getting your own drink, you suddenly aren't important anymore. And I came with you, people think we're friends, you would ruin my rep."

"You think I care?" I grinned then turned toward the table filled with drinks and crackers. I walked my 'I'm going to the battle arena' walk and approached the table. There was a fountain spewing some pink drink, and other colors in cups around it. I stuck with safety and got two waters. I walked back to Constance and handed her a cup. I peeked around. Everyone was staring at me, a few were even whispering. Then, one of the servants, the one that accompanied Mister Creep, started clapping. Soon the other servers joined in, until the whole room was applauding. I couldn't help but smile at Maxina, who ached for attention, and then enjoy my water like it was the best tasting thing in the world.

About ten minutes passed of more people talking to me. A few servants even came and told me they thought I was their hero. Everyone was getting their own drinks that night. Then an intercom came on, telling everyone to go to the dining room. Like Constance said, a lot of people left. But a few business people stayed, including Georgo Creep, and entered the dining room. I walked with Maxina and Constance. She said she had to seat us and then she would go to the sitting room.

We walked through two huge double-story doors and into a grand dining room. It was the same size as the ballroom, which was insanely large, and had a huge gold chandelier with twinkling candles on it. Since the room was lit by candles, it looked as if the gold-colored walls were shimmering, and the white marble floor was luminous. It was beautiful. The long table seated in the middle was huge, but didn't take up any space in this large room. On the far wall stood a bunch of in-uniform servants, ready to work. There were cards with everyone's name on them sitting on the plates. Sure enough I was seated next to Maxina, right in the middle of the table. Center of attention.

Constance pulled out our chairs before I had any say, then stood and watched while we sat down. She bent down and whispered in my ear. "I'll be down that hallway with the other servants in the sitting room, excuse yourself to the bathroom if you need me." I watched her walk down a slim hallway with the other servants. I looked over at Maxina, who was sitting up straight and fixing her wig. The card on the plate next to hers read 'Fantina.' That's probably why Maxina wanted to steal her look. I looked at the card next to me, it read 'Catalane.' I thought I had heard that name earlier while talking with the huge group, so maybe I wouldn't have to go through the introductions. The card next to that, however, read 'Georgo.' At least I wasn't sitting next to him.

And then my worst fear at that moment happened. Georgo walked to his seat with his servant, looked at me, then back at his seat. He winked at me and switched the cards so _he _was sitting next to _me. _His servant pulled out the seat and he sat down. The servant then fixed his handkerchief so it was hanging from his collar. Even that grossed me out. "You may leave me." He said to the servant. She nodded and left for the sitting room. She basically acted like this old man's nanny. That made me gag a little.

I ignored him and watched the other people come and sit. Just as Constance said, people I didn't see before came in. Most of them walked over to me and said hello. One I recognized as Steven from Jubilife news and others from the studio that day of my interview. Fantina came in with two servants bustling behind her. She wore another ball gown, this time is was sparkling silver paired with her purple hair that hung to her waist. She patted my shoulder as she walked to her seat. One servant picked at her hair while the other pulled out the seat. She sat down then said something in a language that was not Modern Poké. They left her. There were four seats still empty. The two at the head of the table, and the two right across from me.

One man with neatly combed red hair walked in. I recognized him, where did I recognize him? Maxina leaned in towards me. "Since I know you don't know I'll be nice. That's the famous contest judge Locus Lane." She whispered. _So I know him from television._ He sat at the head of the table to the left of me.

He smiled around at everyone and he stopped at me. "Hello there, Cynthia. Welcome to my place." He lifted his arms and gestured to the room. "Yes, that's right, I own this very fine building just like I own the Contest Hall." He chuckled. "It's so nice to meet you, lovely."

"As it is you, Locus." He seemed impressed and delighted that I knew his name, and I could feel the awful glare I was getting from Maxina.

"Well everyone, I am sad to say that my good friend Champion Lea couldn't make it, so please welcome his advisor Maroon." An older guy with beady eyes and glasses came in. He walked to the other head of the table to my right and took a seat. "Since our last two are late because they're traveling from Jubilife, let's get our drinks and salads right away." The servants standing on the far wall all stumbled into another room. They almost immediately brought out salads and drinks. They sat the huge salad in front of me and a pink drink.

"Excuse me, I would like water." I said to the servant.

"Why?" _Uh oh. _I turned to Locus.

"Because I'm not a fan of, of…" I looked at the drink. I didn't even know what it was.

"That's the most expensive drink money can buy. Drink it, enjoy it." He insisted.

I nodded and smiled. "You're right, thank you." I started eating my salad, which was pretty good, and I reached for my glass. I picked it up and brought it to my nose. It smelt fruity, so I took a sip. Wrong, very wrong. It was bitter. I calmly swallowed the drink and put the glass back. "What is that?" I whispered to Maxina.

"That's mixed berry spirit, it is the most expensive drink out there." She said. _Great. _I wasn't going to be drinking that, expensive or not.

I looked over at Locus to make sure he didn't see that. He was chatting with the person sitting next to him, who was a business man, and something caught my eye. I looked passed him and to the huge doors that were still open. There was a lady and man talking right outside the door. The lady had her back to me, showing only her black hair and the back of her regal pink and blue dress, and the man was wearing a fancy business suit and had brown hair. The man seemed to be grabbing her arm and trying to force her through the door, but she was shaking her head. I was horrible at lip reading, so I couldn't tell what was being said. But finally they stopped and the lady turned around. She grabbed the man's hand and they walked in. She was looking at the ground so I couldn't get a good look at her face.

Locus looked at them. "Well here are the people! Cynthia, this is Jackson, he works for Lea, and this is his wife Selene."

"Hello." I greeted. I had a weird feeling about them though. Something inside me told me these two weren't right.

Then I found out why. They sat across from me, and the lady finally raised her head. I was so shocked that I almost gasped, but sucked the air in and kept calm. The person looking back at me was an exact Sake look-alike, the same look-alike I saw back in Jubilife. _This can't be Sake, right? _I thought.

_This night is going to be a long one._


	14. Possessed

_Chapter Thirteen: Possessed_

_And Everything Came Crashing Down _

Selene, the Sake look-alike, started eating her salad. I was just staring at her in total shock. I looked around, everyone was eating and drinking like nothing was out of place. Meanwhile, there was an atomic bomb explosion in my head, where everything rolled around like Pokéballs. _Sake's Selene! No, Selene is Sake! Sake doesn't really live in a shack in Oreburgh, she isn't really poor, and she isn't really Ellena's friend. Ellena! Maybe she's a part of this too! But… Why would they pretend to be poor? Why would they 'escape secretly' from Oreburgh? Why would Pete die? Pete! He's the answer! _My mind flip-flopped. _How could Pete be the answer? He was a mine worker! …Right? _I looked down at my food. Suddenly it didn't look appealing. I felt like throwing up.

A man who was clearly a disgusting and deprave old man was seated next to me, someone who I really disliked, and vice versa, was sitting on the other side of me, I was completely out of my element at a dinner party _for me_ where I was sure I would have to talk, and sitting across from me was either a clone, a mirage, or a liar. A _big _liar at that.

Interrupting my thoughts, Mister Creep leaned in close to me. "Eat darling, you're far too skinny." He mumbled.

_Don't throw up don't throw up. _"I am full." I managed.

"_Full_? This is the first of four courses! You can't possibly be full."

"Four courses? How much do they expect me to eat?"

"Apparently more than you normally eat. Miss Skinny Bones." He chuckled.

"Oh, what's funny Georgo?" Locus looked over at us. Thank you Georgo Creep.

"This lovely Cynthia made a joke, it was quite funny." He turned his head back to me and winked. Gag.

"And what joke was that?" Locus asked. Every eye turned towards me, everyone either anticipated me to fail, like Lea's workers, or make a funny joke to liven up this dinner.

"Actually it wasn't funny." I shrugged.

"Yeah I heard it, it wasn't funny at all." Maxina added. I didn't know if that was to help or to make everything worse. I considered the latter.

"Oh…" Locus seemed disappointed. "Well then. Why don't we all get to talking, hm? Let's ask Cynthia Everheart a few good questions." _Yes, let's make her puke. _I thought. I swallowed all my fear down hard and put on my confident face and matching smile.

"Actually, I've always had a question for her." Maxina said. I looked at her and smiled bigger.

"What is it?" I asked. I sounded like a genuinely wanted to know, but inside I was screaming _no, no, no, no, no! _I knew that she questioned me as a 'rebel' before on the train, but she wouldn't bring that up here in public, right?

"What are your thoughts on the attacks?" She asked. There was way too much smugness caked in her smirk.

"Good question, Maxina!" Locus praised.

No, that wasn't a good question. I was deciding if that was better than the rebel question. "Well, my views are numerous, and they go in different directions. I like to think that they are natural disasters, so to speak, but I think that's not the truth. I think someone is taking out anger on towns, possibly taking out anger on Pokémon." I smiled. No, that was not what I thought. I thought Lea was behind it all, and I knew it wasn't 'someone' it was multiple 'someone's' because I saw them running away in Eterna Forest. But I needed to feed them something that wouldn't get my head chopped off.

"Very… Intellectual." The business man seated beside Locus said. And no, it was not intellectual. Any bonehead would think that up.

Speaking of boneheads, everyone else nodded and agreed. I wanted so bad to roll my eyes.

"I have question." Fantina perked up. I looked passed Maxina and smiled at her. I was growing to like Fantina, she wasn't the average Golden. "Since you have _zé _winning…" She thought for a moment. "Streak, what will you do if you _perderé_?" She asked.

"Excuse me?" I blinked.

"_Perderé_, uhh… Mislay so to speak."

"Oh, lose?" She nodded. "What my grandfather always said was if you're knocked down, you stand right back up and try harder. So that's what I'll do." Everyone smiled at the sounds of that.

"I would like to ask this lovely lady something." I faced Georgo. _Great! Mister Creep… _I thought. "Do you plan to ever settle down? Possibly with a husband? Maybe even have a few kids?"

I didn't like this question. Not only was it _so not _appropriate for this old man to ask a fourteen-year-old something so personal, but I didn't have an answer. I was just fourteen! "Well, sir, I haven't really thought about it. Right now I want to focus on training, _only _training, and maybe in a long, _long_ time I'll start thinking about it. But for now the answer is no."

"Such a shame, too." He made a 'tsk, tsk' sound. I looked at Locus; maybe he would say something to Georgo. He didn't.

The servers came around and gave refills to the people who needed them and took everyone's salad. 'Four courses' echoed around in my brain. _Four courses of food I'm expected to eat, four courses of people asking me questions I either don't have the answers to or don't want to answer, four courses of me staring at Sake, or Selene, wondering if she's really who I think she is, and four courses of me wishing that this is a dream. _

The servers brought out big bowls of soup and sat them down. "Enjoy all. This is my favorite soup." Locus said. I studied the green mush. I swirled my spoon around in it, looking for any chunks of meat. Nothing. I decided to taste.

I dipped my gold spoon in the hot soup and brought it into my mouth. To my surprise it was just like Grandmother's specialty greens soup. And it was deliciously seasoned. I looked up at Selene, she was basically inhaling her soup. _Then she must be a starved Sake! _I looked at her hard. Her face was slim and ended in a 'v' but it wasn't as noticeable. _Make-up. She has to be wearing make-up, it's re-shaded to look like she's not a poor, starving lady. _

Jackson, the man Selene was 'married' to, elbowed her side. She stopped eating so vigorously.

"Jackson, you haven't said anything all night, what's eating you?" Locus asked.

Jackson smiled. "Oh nothing." He looked at his 'wife' rather lovingly. "We just have some interesting news."

Selene's head shot up, she looked at Jackson with pleading eyes. She peeked at me quickly. She definitely knew who I was.

Jackson ignored her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "She's with child, we're pregnant."

Atomic bomb explosion. My eyes widened. Everyone else clapped and smiled, I was motionless. What was going on here? Everything I thought was turned upside down. Sake was a _bad guy_? That didn't even make sense.

I put on a fake smile and clapped. Selene looked around at everyone and stopped at me. She looked petrified. "Excuse me." She said quickly. She jumped up, knocking her chair to the ground, and sprinted down the hallway that lead to the bathroom.

"Ah, baby sickness already?" Someone said.

Jackson laughed. "Yeah, it's been rough, but it'll pay off soon."

Shortly Selene came back to her seat. She kept her head down and stared at her soup.

"Congratulations are in order." Locus raised his glass. Everyone, including me, followed. "To Selene, Jackson and little Junior." I took a sip of the bitter drink and quickly spit it back in my cup subtly.

"Now, let's focus back on the main girl of this dinner." Locus grinned at me. "Have you ever considered going into contests?"

"Actually no. I'm more of a battle type of person."

"All understandable." He nodded. "Now, everyone saw that battle today, and oh you were fantastic! Fantina, what were you thinking when she started having the upper hand?"

"I thought she was _fantastico _and I understand why I was defeated. But I know that with strength comes grace and nobility, so she will excel. That's why I am fine with my _vaincre_."

Locus talked to others and I focused on my soup. I was glad the attention wasn't on me anymore. My mind spun around and around. Although, suddenly I felt like I was at peace. That made me think the presence was there.

_Are you here? _I thought.

Chills ran through me. Maybe this was a bad idea. "Yes."

_Are you always here? _

"No."

_Why are you here giving me peace? _

"You seek peace. Do you not?"

_I guess I do. Why do I need it? _I knew the answer, I was just wondering if _It_ did.

"You have been fooled, look at the eyes across from yours."

I looked at Sake. _She has fooled me. How did you know I would be fooled? _

Nothing. _I know you're there, I'm still at peace. _

"Focus."

_Why do I—_"Cynthia?" Georgo leaned in. I hated being interrupted, but being interrupted by him was the worst.

I looked at him. "Yes?"

"You are acting weird, something bothering you?"

"No, no. I was just thinking."

"I've been thinking too." He said. A weird smile crossed his lips. "About what a beauty you are."

_You can't get into his head, can you? _I thought. Luckily, I was at peace during this moment. I didn't throw up or punch him. I grabbed my spoon and started eating again. He was still inches away from me. I turned to him. "Thank you." I muttered through a fake smile. Gag.

The servers made their rounds again. Only two more courses. Everyone was chatting with one another, Maxina kept bugging Fantina. I could hear the frustration in her voice. Georgo would make comments about the servants. He probably meant to be talking to me, but I pretended not to hear him.

"That one almost dropping the bowl." He would mutter. "That one _has_ to be from Oreburgh." What can I say, he was a Golden. Not like that was an excuse.

Plates were passed around. They were larger than my head. Bowls of bread and plates of greens were sat in the middle of the table. Then, three huge plates with something horrid on them were placed in the middle of the table, right in front of me. It looked like a featherless and headless bird. You could see the bone sticking out of the wings and legs. It was gross. Another thing that was set in the middle of the table was a white paste-like substance. Because it was served in a gold bowl I assumed that, along with the poultry, it was the main dish.

"Everyone, I had a specialty shipped in just for this meal." Locus said. "Enjoy Krabby and Taillow."

"Krabby? I haven't had that in years." Georgo said. He dished out meat on his plate and ignored the greens completely. He smiled at me and pulled off the leg of the bird and put it on my plate. "Skinny legs eat a leg!" He laughed. A few others laughed at his corny joke, I just smiled. He filled my plate with meat and greens, I knew I wouldn't be able to eat it all. He grabbed a spoon and started filled his mouth with Krabby. "It's quite delicious." He stuffed more of the white, mushy meat in his mouth.

I started picking at the greens. They were delicious, and it filled me up, but I knew someone was going to open the I'm-not-eating-meat bag. And I was going to pay for it. One thing I never understood: Why someone liked this sordid gunk. Krabby meat was white and mushy, it didn't look appealing. Taillow meat was slightly blue with white blotches and it looked textured. There was no way I would _pick up _the leg and pull the meat off with my teeth and stare at a Pokémon bone. No way whatsoever.

Then, an overwhelming feeling hit. I felt something stinging inside of me. It almost felt like fire. I would have screamed if I wasn't being calmed by the presence. My right hand started shaking. I stared at it. _What's going on? _I thought. No answer. My hand stopped shaking. It felt like it was in a fireplace. Overwhelming heat and arguably the worst pain of my life flooded my hand, and crawled up my arm like a bug. But all the while I was at peace.

My arm lifted and outstretched towards my plate. I was not moving my arm. I grabbed my right wrist with my left hand and tried to pull it back to my lap. It wasn't working. My hand grabbed the disgusting Taillow leg and brought it to my mouth. _I'm not going to open my mouth. _I told my hand mentally. But my mouth opened and I bit into the leg.

My first instinct was to spit it out. The meat tasted _weird._ It was chewy and greasy; I could feel the grease on my lips and dribble to my chin. Then I lost the sense of taste. I couldn't taste the meat anymore. That was odd. I chewed unwillingly and swallowed. It was so gross. I tried fighting my arm again and I tried squeezing my lips together. But it was like something else was in my body, or someone else. I was still in-body, but I couldn't do anything but look around and breathe. I certainly didn't mean to let anyone in.

I was trying to distract myself from the sickening meat in my mouth. I still couldn't taste it, but I could feel it. I ate the poultry then put the bone back on my plate. I felt the fire from my hand and arm disperse, and so did my peace. The presence left. Fear shot through me. The fear that I had hidden behind the peace. My heart rate increased. I tried calming myself down. _You are fine. The thing is gone; it may not ever come back. _I didn't believe it would never come back, but I knew it was gone.

I grabbed the cloth napkin and wiped the rest of the grease away. I knew the presence had gotten inside me and made me do that. I was possessed. At first the presence only visited my head, or something like that, but now it could come and control my body. So it could speak to me, toy with my emotions, and make me do things? Yeah, that spelled out P-O-S-S-E-S-S-E-D. Also spelled out M-U-R-D-E-R-E-R and P-S-Y-C-H-O-T-I-C.

However, this _wasn't _the time for me to have a mental breakdown. That would have to be taken care of in private. Now was the time to impress people. Not to worry about Sake or Selene or me having voices in my head. Nope, not that time.

"You aren't talking at all, Missy." Maxina whispered.

"So? Why do you care?"

"I hardly do, but I've made people think I'm your mentor of sorts. Say something or you'll make me look bad."

Oh, she wants me to talk? Sure. I looked straight at Selene. "I would just like to say, Selene and Jackson, that I'm very happy for you two. On your marriage and the baby." I smiled the best fake smile I could manage. I saw hurt cut through Sake's face. Her eyebrows drooped like a withering flower, and her gaze fell to her lap, or possibly her stomach. She knew I didn't mean that. I didn't feel any guilt. In fact, I slightly smiled at my victory. No matter how cruel that was, I was hurt too. I was deceived. And possibly Ellena, my friend, was hurting too.

Jackson's face lit up. "Thank you, Cynthia." He grinned and nodded. He wrapped his arm around Sake. A few others commented congratulation again. I looked at Maxina, she smiled and nodded.

Minutes flew by and I ate my greens. I didn't touch my Krabby, and nothing else _made_ me touch it either. Catalane, the girl who originally was going to sit beside me, chatted with me for a moment. She asked about my training. Everyone held on to my every word. This party was really about me, and that made me sick. Once I felt nauseous, I thought of the meat in my stomach. That made it worse. I choked down some of the pink drink to keep from vomiting and stuffed some bread down my throat so it would get the taste of the drink out of my mouth.

Now, I was waiting on dessert. The last course. The table was rid of any and all meat. Except what had dropped onto Georgo's bib… And the grease on his chin. Gag. I watched him guzzle his drink down and let out a satisfied breath as he placed it back on the table.

"I wish those desserts would hurry up." He muttered to me.

"I don't think I could handle more food." I admitted.

"Sure you can." He winked. Plates with huge pieces of cake with poffins circled around them were sat in front of everyone.

"Berry cake and sour poffins." Locus said. I noticed he used a rather professional voice when announcing the food, it must have been out of habit.

I picked up one of the small poffins and nibbled on it. Some sour berry juice spilled over my tongue. I quickly grabbed my fork and took a bite of the cake, the sweetness calmed the sour and made a delectable dessert.

I couldn't help myself but to peek at Selene. She was stuffing herself with cake. If she secretly lived the high-life, why was she still so hungry? Things didn't add up. I _trusted _Sake so much. Enough to let her lead me through an underground tunnel. Now I'm rethinking it all. _If I walked through a tunnel with her now, what would she do?_ It all made me sick. I trusted someone and they let me down.

Now I couldn't wait for the dinner to be over. _I will get some sleep then head to Oreburgh in the morning. If Sake, or Selene, isn't there then I would talk to Ellena and get some answers. If she doesn't know anything, Sake's a dirty liar who not only lied to me, lied to basically her family._

Not the time, I told myself. I took another bite of cake and decided I really couldn't hold anymore. Locus wasn't eating either. I looked down at Maxina and Fantina. Fantina wasn't eating, she was having a conversation with Maroon, Lea's worker that was sent to meet me. Maroon was an older guy with reading glasses pushed to the end of his nose. He hadn't said anything to me all night, and that made me wonder. If he wasn't getting to know me, what would he say to Lea? Maroon took a few bites of poffin and cake. He met my eyes and I realized I was staring. I looked back at Maxina, she tried to talk to everyone, but it was obvious she was just being annoying.

"Cynthia, where are you from?" Someone asked me. It was some business man I had met earlier, I couldn't remember his name.

"Celestic Town." I answered.

"Where now? Celestic?"

"Yes, Celestic. Next to Cornet, it's known for doing research on Cornet Mountain. In fact Celestic has discovered more about Cornet than anywhere else." I bored everyone in the room at that moment.

"Oh, so it's kind of like that camp at one of the lakes, Camp Verity or something." He said.

"Camp Verity, what's that?" I asked.

"It's a camp where researchers stay at on Route 201. They've recently found this new lake, apparently it's linked to Lake Valor and Lake Acuity." Locus explained.

"Well, Celestic isn't a camp. It's an actual town I was raised in. But, tell me more about these lakes." This peeked my interest.

Locus chuckled. "You're a researcher, are you?"

I shrugged. "It's in my blood."

"Right, well, that's about all I know. Anyone want to help me out?" Locus asked.

"I know a thing or two." A soft, mousy voice said. I turned and faced Maroon, he was finally speaking up. "The lakes are sacred places. Because of lack of knowledge they're sealed from the public. Whenever someone enters the lake area, they're hit with an intense feeling. Some believe ghost collect there. That's why only certain people can enter them. It's quite odd, actually. Lake Acuity, near Snowpoint, if anyone enters they normally have powerful headaches. Lake Valor, near Pastoria, causes insane pain and everyone is basically forced to leave. Now with Lake Verity, some people end up having breakdowns and can't stand the feeling they have. Only a few men have been able to go to the lake. Woman can't, once they step to a certain point they end up feeling overwhelmed and cry hysterically. In Valor only people who are strong-willed can fight the feeling telling them to leave. And in Acuity Lea's smartest researchers even have trouble entering, although some people can handle it and they've done research on it."

"Very mysterious." Jackson commented.

"Yes, I agree." I said. "What gives the lakes that energy?"

Maroon shrugged. "Beats me." I didn't necessarily believe him.

The final course moved on. I spoke only to quickly comment or when spoken to. I pushed the information given to me about the lakes into the back of my mind. I silently allowed myself to ignore that info now and worry about it later. I picked at my cake. I forced a few more bites down, only when anyone would look my way.

Everyone had stopped eating when the servers made their rounds. Each personal 'servant' came out of the sitting room. Constance came over to me, Maxina shot her a mad look. Oh well. "Hey." She whispered. She raked her fingers through my hair and I rolled my eyes. She pouted her lips and gave me the 'Stop that' look. I looked around, Mister Georgo Clank's servant was wiping his mouth and chin. Other servants were doing similar things. Were those people just _that _lazy?

Constance stood by while Maxina and I stood up then she pushed our chairs under the table. Everyone exited through the giant double doors and back into the first room. Neutral music flowed through the room, I noted a small stage in one corner with a trio of musicians. My throat ran dry. Why wasn't anyone leaving? I turned to Constance. "Do not tell me it isn't time to leave." I murmured.

"Okay, I won't tell you that." She smirked.

"I will. It isn't time to leave." Maxina grinned. "What's the matter, Miss Popular? Afraid the world might stop revolving around you for less than a second?"

I glared at her. "No." I hissed. "That's what _you're _afraid of." She squinted at me then walked off.

Constance rolled her eyes. "Children need to learn to play together, especially when the playpen is full of watchful eyes." She whispered. "You'll be fine! If anyone asks to dance with you, say yes every time. And put a nice smile on your face, not your cocky fake one." I frowned. "Don't do that."

I did not want to dance with anyone. But because people started to pair up and dance, I knew it wouldn't be long until someone asked me. Luckily, Maxina was dancing with Georgo. Jackson approached me. Selene was out with Locus. He held out his hand. "Want to dance, Cynthia?" He grinned. I smiled my best smile.

"Sure." I took his hand and he led me out to the middle of the floor. Now probably wasn't a good time to realize I had never danced a second of my life. Jackson placed a hand on my side, and I rested my hand on his shoulder. We started moving and turning, I was just fumbling about trying to keep my feet.

"So, are you ready for gym number four?" _Great, he's going to talk too? _

I cleared my throat. "Of course I am. I'll be headed there in a few days." I slightly tripped, but caught myself. "…Sorry." I muttered.

He laughed a bit nervously. "It's all fine." We spun around. I didn't say anything else because I was too focused on my feet, that couldn't have been good.

"Why don't we switch?" Locus grinned. Selene looked sick on his shoulder.

"Of course." I said. I smiled my sweet smile again. Locus and I walked to a clear spot. I resumed the dance position again: Hand-in-hand and other hand on shoulder.

Locus always had an odd smile on. He looked like a clown. Probably because of his not natural red hair and up this close I noticed he wore eyeliner. I didn't trust him. There was just this evil air about him.

"I'm so sorry you couldn't meet Lea." He said. If he was sorry, why was he grinning? "He so wanted to meet you."

"I am sure I will meet him sometime, right?" I chuckled.

"Maybe."

I started to get the hang of dancing. "I bet Lea is very busy up there." I looked up at the mural on the ceiling.

"Of course Lea is busy, he is the champion after all." He said it like I didn't know it.

"I know that." I gave him a weird look. "Does Lea know who I am?" The words spilled out of my mouth before I could stop them.

"Yes he does. He has seen all of your battles. He admires you greatly." _Oh I'm sure he does. _I thought. I rolled my eyes in my mind.

"That's good to know." I smiled. "Maybe one day I'll have the honor to battle him."

Now Locus gave me a weird look. "Really?" He sounded suspicious. I thought I pulled off that last sentence well, I was a good liar.

"Yes really. Isn't it an honor to battle a champion? It means you have to earn the strength to even attempt it, right?"

"Yes, yes. But I just didn't know how _you _truly feel." There was still doubt in his eyes.

"I truly feel that way." I tried to assure him.

He nodded. "I also admire you." He chuckled. "You've become quite the role model here in the Golden Cities. Pretty impressive if you ask me."

"Thank you, Locus. That means a lot." I meant that… Sort of.

Locus stopped dancing. "I think there is one other person wanting to dance."

"Is it Georgo?" I looked around. He was dancing with some other young girl.

"May I cut in?" I turned my head. Maroon was standing there. Locus backed off and Maroon took his place.

"Hello, Maroon." I said.

"Hello. I just was wondering if you wanted to ask me anything else about the lakes."

"No, I don't have any more questions. You're very knowledgeable." I focused on my feet.

"Thank you. You have a strong mind as well. I can't wait to tell Lea all about you."

I looked up from my feet and met his eyes. "Why couldn't Lea join us?" I asked.

"He's busy. With the attacks he didn't want to leave." I nodded. "Do you really believe what you said about the attacks?" He didn't have suspicion in his voice or eyes, so I guessed he was just making conversation.

I had to think twice to realize what he was asking. Then it hit: Oh yeah, what I said earlier. "Of course. Someone's just angry."

"You don't believe in the rebels?" He arched a white eyebrow.

"He could be a rebel I guess. But I don't know. No one does, right?"

He nodded. "Right." I tripped over my own feet. I fell backward and landed right on some business man.

"Watch it." He snapped. I stood back up and focused on my feet while we danced.

"What do you think about the attacks?" I asked.

"I think there are rebels out there. They feel too strongly about Pokémon… Like you." He looked at me strange. I was shocked to hear that. _He thinks I'm a rebel? _I lost my footing and fell backwards. I landed right on a table, food fell on me. I realized I had pulled Maroon with me. He rubbed his head.

Everyone came over to us. Constance helped me up. "Thank you." I muttered.

"Don't be so ditsy next time." She whispered. I smirked. I wasn't hurt, although a bit of pain shot through my elbow. The elbow Sake basically healed for me. I rubbed the base of it and found Selene eyeing my elbow. Yeah, she remembered.

Servers got the mess cleaned up and Constance dusted off food from my dress and got out a lot of the stains. Unfortunately, my move didn't put an end to this party.

I walked back into the ballroom. I saw Fantina talking to Maxina. I walked over to them. "Hello Fantina." I said.

"_Bonjour_ Young Trainer Cynthia." She greeted. Maxina walked off and found Locus.

"Do you mind if I ask you something?" I had been thinking about asking Fantina a few questions.

"No not at all."

"What do you know about… Possessions?" I murmured.

She was taken aback. "_Mi scusi_? Possessions? I—I do not think I should…" She stopped.

"I thought that since you worked with Ghost Types you could tell me if they actually possess people." There was no way to make that sound better.

"Only sometime." She said. "But most are not powerful enough. If you come across a strong enough Ghost, it may try to get inside your head and, as you say, possess you."

"Can they control you?"

"How so?"

"Move your arms and hands, turn your taste buds off and talk to you."

"Cynthia, what do you know?" She gave me a weird look.

I shrugged. "I heard a legend the other day about someone who was possessed, I'm just curious." That wasn't completely a lie.

"They would have to be very powerful. The only thing I know of is Ghost's showing you visions. They sometimes creep into you while you're sleeping, then they _cambiare _your dreams into a nightmare. Not body control."

"So, in the legend, the person was possessed by a very strong Ghost Type?"

"If it was Pokémon." Someone approached her and asked her to dance, she accepted. "_Bonne chance,_ Cynthia." She said as she waltzed away.

_If it was Pokémon. Great. _To my luck, the music stopped and Locus walked up on the stage.

"Thank you all for coming tonight! I think I speak for us all when I say good luck Cynthia, we are cheering you on." Everyone started to file out. Constance and Maxina found me and we left together.

The streets were lit up with streetlights and other bright lights shining out of shop and building windows. You wouldn't have known it was nighttime in that city. We found the Center again and entered. We were walking to the elevator when someone walked up to us.

"Cynthia Everheart?" He held out three envelopes.

"Thank you." I took them. I would read them as soon as I made it to my room. We rode up the elevator and went our separate ways. Constance told me to meet her for breakfast, but I doubted that would happen.

I walked into my room. I smiled. I jumped in the shower then relaxed on the sofa. The envelopes got my attention. I picked them up and examined them. The first one was addressed with perfect calligraphy. That was from Grandmother. It said that the garden was producing greens, Celestic's summer weather wasn't bad, she told me to be safe and she loved me. The second was written with a quick, messy hand. It was from Oliver. It said that Annie examined the statue ruble and the gem. She thinks that it was made to honor a legendary, and he'll let me know what else they find out.

The last one was from Jamie. That's odd.

_Cynthia, _

_Hi. Sorry to bother you. You're doing awesome out there, I've been watching you on television. I have been doing well, so has your grandmother. But I need to tell you something. Ember's gone. He disappeared. Last night Isis came to the shop looking for him, apparently he was mad about something and he didn't even say he was leaving. Why does he have to be a hotheaded Drama Queen? _

_I just wanted to inform you. _

_Stay Strong and Good Luck, _

_Jamie _

Great. Ember, my best friend, was gone. For all I knew he was captured by Lea and then killed because of his sarcastic and disrespectful mouth. My stomach knotted.

Not only was that eating me, one sentence also stuck in my head like super glue.

_If it was Pokémon._

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Note: What a pain-in-the-butt chapter! It was not my best chapter (By far) but I think it was okay. What did you guys think? <strong>

**A few fun facts about this story: Originally, Cynthia's last name was going to be 'Evers' because I was reading a book and the main characters last name was Everly, so that's all I could think about when I tried to come up with her name. Then, Everheart was born! I really like that name now. **

**Did you notice all the chapter names are one word? That's something I've done on purpose.**

**I hint all the way through the story. It's getting more and more obvious, but you guys should have it figured out if you've been paying 100% attention. I think I spilled the beans in one sentence in earlier chapters, did anyone catch it? Hehe, I love knowing everything! **

**I put a lot of references and inside jokes in all the time, and sometimes without realizing it. **

**Okay that's all I can think of for now. What do you think is going to happen? Now that Mr. Ember is on the move and Cynthia is learning more about herself. Drop a review down there! Criticism is accepted and I would definitely thank you for it. **

**Thanks for reading, you have hung with me for a while and I so appreciate it. **


	15. Betrayal

_Chapter Fourteen: Betrayal_

_And Everything Came Crashing Down _

I woke up to a weird sound. _Thump. Thump. Thump. _I forced my eyelids open. I yawned. _Thump. _This time it was much louder. I sat up quickly; suddenly my eyelids had no problem staying wide open. _Thump. _"Hello?" I had fallen asleep on the sofa. I stood up and looked around. There was a white thing that kept running into the wall. _Thump. _

I walked up to it and, really without thinking this through, grabbed the white thing. It was cloth, I pulled it off. My little thumper was a Pokémon. It was white and was still wearing its eggshell. I looked at the cloth in my hand, it was the egg pouch.

"You finally hatched!" The Pokémon ran to my feet and jumped around. I scooped it up. "Now to figure out what you are. Let's get ready for breakfast."

I put on some clothes and raked through my hair. I grabbed an empty Pokéball and called in the new Pokémon, which I called Thumper, and started down to the lobby to check out this little guy.

I walked out of the elevator and up to the nurse. "Hello." I greeted and handed her my Pokéball. "Can you tell me what Pokémon this is?"

She nodded and put it on the screen counter. The holograph popped up. "Looks like you have a Togepi, barely level one and a healthy boy." She handed the ball back to me.

I nodded my thanks and attached the Pokéball to my belt loop. I walked into the next room which was the eating room where they serve breakfast. Constance and Maxina were sitting at a table with their pancakes. I grabbed a plate full and joined them.

"Good morning Blondie!" Constance chirped. "I hope you slept good because today we have a ton planned."

"What?" I already had plans. "Constance, I was going to get moving to the next gym. I have to train and stuff."

"Please, you need a day off. And what better than a day off in a Golden City?"

_A day off anywhere else. _"I appreciate you trying to be kind, but really, I have to put my training first." She pouted her lip at me. I ignored it and started eating the berry pancakes.

"_Please_!" She whined. "The three of us were going to go shopping and then have lunch at the best restaurant around."

"Excuse me?" Maxina said. "I wasn't going to go with you two, I have plans today in Jubilife." She smirked.

"Fine, then it would just be you and me. Why can't you go?"

I sighed. "Because, like I told you, training comes first."

"You're so not fun." She slumped in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. Maxina finished her pancake then stood up.

"Bye, Const. And Blondie," She looked at me, "remember what I said on the train." She walked off. I rolled my eyes.

"What did she say?" Constance asked.

I shook my head. "Nothing that matters."

* * *

><p>I gathered my things and loaded them in my bag. My black bag became so heavy. The easy-access pocket I had stored the Sinnoh map and Gible's ball in had become full with more Pokéball and such. I still had that weird rock Grandmother gave me. It was wrapped up in paper and a t-shirt stuffed in the bottom of my bag. That thing wasn't going to be floating out unexpectedly.<p>

Constance left off starting her 'fun day' of shopping. I could care less about the whole thing. I needed to get to Oreburgh.

I had my bag slung over my shoulder and I left the Center. I would have to sneak out through the break in the wall behind the Contest Hall then come back to leave officially so it would be in the record.

I walked through the crowds of people and found the back alleyways. It didn't take long until I slid between the back walls and was back in the forest.

The air felt lighter and fresher. The smell was woody and I heard birds chirp and yap. I thought of Eterna Forest, although that place was pure magic, still the smell matched. The trees cluttered the area as I walked. I weaved through them. They were all thin colorless things, total opposite of Eterna Forest.

I hadn't let myself worry about Ember. When it came to mind my stomach knotted and guilt shot through me. Why guilt? I don't know. I didn't think it was my fault, but I felt like if I was there I could have talked to him. Jamie was right: he was a hotheaded Drama Queen. I didn't worry about training either. I was set for Oreburgh. Although I hadn't thought of what I would say.

"Oh, hey there Ellena! I don't know if you know this, but Sake is actually a lying rich person who's married to a millionaire and she's pregnant." Or "Hey Sake, I saw you yesterday. You're a lying dirty person who betrayed everyone you know and love!" I stopped walking and slapped my hand to my forehead. _This is a bad idea… But I'm going to go. Nothing's stopping me. _I took in a big breath, bringing confidence with it, and moved forward.

My long strides soon brought me to the pond where Ellena and I met. I estimated another half hour or so of walking. I marched passed the water and through all the clearings and got to the cave. I entered it with no hesitation. Zubat fluttered around but no one challenged. Good, I wasn't in the mood to battle. That's how steamed I was.

I crawled through the fence and walked through the small bit of trees. I crouched behind a thorn bush and peaked around the back street. A few guards walked around. It was probably close to lunchtime, but I assumed I would have to wait a while.

The back street was the street both Sake and Ellena lived on. Ellena's house was one in the center and Sake's was a few doors down from that. I would go see Sake first. I wouldn't bring Ellena, Esmeralda and Essie into this just yet.

Lunch struck and the mineworkers all went into their houses. There were no guards around. I decided to make a run for it. I sprinted to Sake's tiny house. When I reached the door I looked around, still no guards.

_Should I knock? _My hand was shaking. I just reached up and banged on the door.

"Hold on a sec." I heard Sake's voice. I didn't wait for her to open the door, I was afraid she would just slam it shut on me and call the guards. I stumbled in and shut the door.

She was absolutely stunned. She froze and her eyes widened. She was breathing hard. Yeah she knew what this was about.

My eyebrows met in the middle of my forehead. My mouth opened to yell and scream, but nothing came out. The fire of anger started to be doused with pain and hurt. "Selene!" I muttered. My throat ran dry.

"Please let me explain." She whispered. She came out of her frozen form. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

The fire grew inside me. The anger returned. "Why should I?! Why should I let you explain yourself _Selene_?"

"You need to know everything!" She pleaded.

"What else do I have to know?! You are a liar! You've _hurt me_, Sake, you've hurt Ellena."

Pain crossed her face. "You told them?" She hardly whispered it.

"Not yet. But you bet I'm going to."

"Please, Cynthia!" She dropped to her knees. "You can't, I'm doing this for them!"

"What?" I clenched my teeth. "Stop lying." The words slid through my teeth.

"I'm—I'm not lying!" She was still crying. "Just let me explain!"

I paused. "Who's Jackson? And why are you _married_?!"

"We're not really married. I've only known him for not even a month." She sighed. "A guard caught me sneaking out of the town one day. He threatened to kill me! I told him I was a rebel and worked with the rebels, and he told me he would let me live only if I went to Jubilife every once in a while and tell Lea's workers our plan for attacks. That's when the war was in its first stages. I agreed to that and have to go to Jubilife about once a week. And because Jackson wants to look like a big-shot, he made me pose as his wife."

Atomic bomb explosion. _What, what, what?! _Then, everything made perfect sense. Of course Ellena and Sake were rebels. But, their plan of _attacks_? "…You're the bad guy?" I muttered.

"What?" Tears started full-force again. They left blood-red tracts in their place. "I didn't mean for this to happen this way! I never, ever wanted this to get so… So… Serious."

Just then, the door swung open. I swiftly turned on my heels. Ellena stood there in the doorway. She gave us a weird look. She shut the door.

"What in Sinnoh is going on?" She looked at Sake who was still on the floor crying.

I looked at Sake. "Tell her, _Selene._" I hissed. Then I turned to Ellena. "Unless you already know!"

"Know _what_?! What the—"

"Stop!" I cut her off. "You are a liar too! And to think I trusted you!" I yelled. My mind ran around like my newly hatched Pokémon. "I bet you did try to poison me that day we met, didn't you? And that book was something to trick me, wasn't it? And then when you bombed that temple while I was in it you tried to kill me again!"

Her eyes widened. "Sake, you told her?!"

Selene cried even harder. "Y—Yes, but it—it's hard to…" She hiccupped.

"What she's trying to say is that she's been working with Lea, who is the good guy here!"

Fire burned in Ellena's eyes. "What are you talking about? Sake, what's going on?"

Sake stood up. "Sh—" She couldn't finish. She gulped. "She's right."

I saw the shock, pain, anger and confusion fill Ellena's face at once. She was so easy to read. "No, no. You wouldn't do that to me and Mom. You wouldn't do that to Dad, right?" She yelled. "Right?!" Sake returned to the floor.

"Tell her Selene! Tell her everything!" I growled.

"I—I worked with Lea's guard. They've paid me and I've been…" She paused and wept some more.

"Been what, _Selene_?"

"Feeding them information on the rebels! They've known about everything since the war started!"

Ellena let out a gasp paired with a cry of pain. "Sake! How could you rat us out?!"

"I—I didn't have a choice!"

"You _always _have a choice! You _chose _this!" Ellena bellowed.

"Don't forget about your double life." I added.

She looked at me with wet, pleading eyes. "And I've been going to the Golden Cities, where I pose as a rich man's wife and go to parties with him." She murmured.

Ellena cursed loudly. "I can't believe this!"

"You forgot the fact that you're pregnant and your fake name is Selene."

Sake sat up. "I'm not pregnant, Jackson's going to tell everyone I miscarried in a few months."

"A few _months_? You're planning to betray us for that long!" Ellena's eyes filled with tears.

"I—I…" She lost her words.

"You're a dirty liar!" I finished for her. "And you," I looked at Ellena, "you're no better! You are the one who has caused all this distress on Sinnoh, not Lea! You lied too."

A tear skidded down her face. "I lied for your own good!" She yelled. "If you knew what we were doing and got involved, you would have been putting your life in serious danger." She pointed to Selene. "See her? Now that's she ratted us out, we'll probably be killed. And because of my little lie, you're safe. And how dare you think I tried to poison you! We're not the only bad guys here! We're not even bad guys!"

"And why should I believe you?" I spat.

"Because you trust me and I'm telling the truth."

"How do I know you're telling the truth when you lied before?" I yelled.

She stomped her foot. "Fine! Don't believe me, it's still for your own good." She looked at Sake. "What have you told them?" She demanded.

"I've only told them half the truth." Sake said between hiccups. "They know we live here, but I've told them there are others but I don't know where they are. I've told them a bunch of lies, so we should still be—"

"No!" Ellena snapped. "No _we_! You're gone, Sake, you're out of the team. You're out of my life. You can go rot in Hades for all I care." She turned towards the door. "Cynthia, if you want to hear the truth, you better come with me."

I didn't look at Sake again when I followed her out. Again, no guards, but we still ran to Ellena's house. We ran as a mixture of not wanting to be caught by guards and because in a little way it helped blow off steam.

We ran straight into the house. I looked over at one of beds, expecting to be greeted by Essie, but she wasn't there. That meant she had gotten better and could leave her bed. Esmeralda looked up from her mashing berries. She immediately ran over to us. She wrapped her arms around Ellena.

"What happened?! Is Sake alright?!"

"You better believe that dirty liar is alright." I said. She cocked her head at me. Ellena sat down and told her everything, right down to every word of the previous conversation.

Esmeralda had started tearing up half way through the explanation. "This can't be true." She murmured.

Ellena was pacing the room. "It's the whole truth." She had stopped crying, her hurt became full-fledged fury. "I know it's hard to believe, Mom, but Sake betrayed us. And she was going to continue when we needed her most."

"Sake has been my closest friend for half my life and she knew Pete before she knew me. But she let both of us down." Esmeralda put her face in her hands. "I don't think I can forgive her."

"I'm _not _forgiving her as long as I live." Ellena spit. "And maybe even after."

I was still confused however. Ellena and Sake were rebels who were attacking towns, they were the bad guys and Lea was good? It didn't make sense. I knew it was inconsiderate of me to bring up the rebel thing while Ellena and her mother were having a moment, but being polite was something I had thrown out the door at that moment. I was outraged.

I stood up from the sofa. "Okay, explain what in Sinnoh is going on about the rebels. You guys are the bad people here, you are attacking the towns, why should I trust you?"

Ellena sighed and half-rolled her eyes. "Look, we're not the 'bad guys' so stop saying it!"

I walked up to her. "You're attacking towns!" I thought back to Eterna Forest. "I saw you and your little group running off in Eterna. Everything was you!" That didn't sound right though. There was a bombing in the mines where Ellena supposedly 'lost' her hearing and her father died, that couldn't have been her then, right?

She scrunched her nose up and her eyebrows met. "Not everything was me! You don't know anything! Just shut your Dialga-rid mouth and open this great new thing called _ears_!"

I shut my mouth just like she said. I was taken aback by her yelling so loudly at me. I hadn't done a thing wrong. I tried to calm myself down. I sat on the sofa next to Esmeralda and waited for Ellena to begin.

She took a deep breath and sat on the floor in front of me. "Listen, a few weeks ago Hilbert contacted my dad telling him that Lea was looking for something. Apparently it involved Solaceon Ruins so Hilbert did some studying."

"There was this whole thing about people who seek ultimate power and he got worried. That's where my dad came in. He recruited a few locals and they left out and attempted to bomb Solaceon Ruins while Lea's workers were there."

"They only ended up scaring the workers away. Afterwards Solaceon received a threatening note from the League and my dad was outraged. We took off to Sunyshore and blew up the lighthouse."

"Then Lea fought back. He thought the attackers were coming from Solaceon so he taxed them insanely. Then we set fire to Veilstone's shops, he bombed Solaceon Ruins and the war started."

Surprisingly this all made sense. No atomic bomb explosion. I mean, don't get me wrong, I was shocked. "You still seem like the bad guy." I said.

Ellena rolled her eyes. "You _still _don't believe me?"

"It's the truth Cynthia." Esmeralda said. "Pete led the rebels, Sake was a part of it and Ellena joined."

I sighed. "Fine, I believe you. I don't like this but I believe you."

"We're doing this to prove a point. We're doing this for Sinnoh."

I thought for a few moments. "I don't think you completely understand. You guys really hurt Eterna with that attack."

"Cynthia, bombing the statue was supposed to sting Lea."

"How did it sting Lea? I think you did something a little bit bigger than that…" I debated to tell them about the gems.

"What do you mean?" She questioned.

"I was there when you bombed the statue. Not only did the two other statues turn to ruble too, there were weird pink gems that were pulsing with energy."

Ellena paused. "What do you think that means?"

I shook my head. "I'm not sure. I have someone studying them, they should let me know if they figure anything out."

She sighed. "We wanted to bomb it to scare Lea. It must have worked, he hasn't attacked back yet."

"Scare Lea? He conceals himself up at the League, why would a bombing on a statue on the other side of Sinnoh scare him?"

She stood up and sat beside me. "Because, Lea is superstitious. Almost unhealthily superstitious. So by bombing the statue he may think that unleashed some kind of oogie-boogie he'll be cowering under his bed."

"Is that why you burnt Leaf Tower?" I asked. There was poison in my voice.

She sighed. "Yes. It was probably a mistake, but look, he hasn't struck back."

"If you think that making Lea put his tail between his trembling legs isn't going to stop him from bombing, you must not be thinking." I said.

"Well what _else _are we supposed to try?" She rolled her eyes. "We're doing the best we can."

"Your best put people in danger! In fact your act killed two people that day!" I countered.

"But it stopped Lea!"

"For a second!"

"Girls, stop it!" Esmeralda said. "You two are too angry. Why don't we take a deep breath and have some dinner?" She returned to mashing berries.

"Mom's right." Ellena calmed down and leaned back on the sofa.

We sat in silence for a while. My mind was spinning. We ate some mashed berries and I realized that Essie was nowhere.

"Where's Essie?" I asked.

Esmeralda's face turned color. "Oh…" She muttered.

"She died. Her illness killed her." Ellena said quickly. I would have apologized, but since I grew up with people telling me they're so sorry I lost my parents, I knew it wouldn't make a difference.

A little while went by. The topic changed to my training. Since Ellena taught me how to train she was curious. The change of topic was good for both of us.

Then there was a knock on the door. My mind instantly flew to that day at Sake's when I hid in the trunk. Esmeralda scurried over to the door and peeked out. "Oh, hello." She opened the door and four people poured in. They all eyed me suspiciously.

One man, probably in his twenties, spoke up. "Ellena, we just went to Sake's and she sent us away. What's up?"

She looked at me. She told them the short version of Sake. She turned to me. "Cynthia, these are the people who helped create the war." She chuckled. "Guys this is Cynthia, she got wrapped up in the rebels and Sake and stuff." She stood up. "We're going to have a quick meeting over at Kedah's house, I'll be back soon." The group left off.

Esmeralda started to light candles and prepare for nightfall. I lounged on the sofa and studied my map. My plan was to leave off the next morning and head to Solaceon so I could get to the next gym. But as I figured out, my plans don't exactly go… As planned.

After a half hour or so, Ellena and her group returned. They all sat on the floor in front of the sofa and eyed me. _What's going on? _

Ellena sat beside me. "Cynthia, we want to ask you something."

"…What?" I have to admit, I was scared.

"We have decided that we could really use you. Would you join us?"


	16. Cloaked

_Chapter Fifteen: Cloaked_

_And Everything Came Crashing Down _

"What?! No!" I said. I didn't want to be a part of a group of rebels!

Ellena almost looked shocked. "…No? Really?"

"Really. Ellena, I have training and battling. If anyone finds out I rebelled and started attacking towns, do you know what would happen?"

"So this is about what people think?" She gave me a weird look. "You don't care about what people think! When did you turn into a prissy? You think you know a girl and she goes off and becomes a prissy!"

"I have to keep a reputation if I want to become the champion!" I yelled.

"A _reputation_?" She spit the word. "Cynthia we could really use you, you could help us. This is for Sinnoh."

"I'm trying to do this," I gestured to myself, "for Sinnoh!"

Ellena rolled her eyes. "You're kind of being insane. I don't think you're thinking this through."

Maybe I wasn't, but at that moment I was blinded by my reputation. "I _have _thought it through. The answer is, and always will be, _no_."

"Forget it Elle, if she doesn't want to join us don't make 'er." The girl in the group said.

Ellena shot her a mad look. "We really need her." She looked at me. "We really need you!"

"No, Ellena. I think I should leave now." I stood up and grabbed my bag. I walked to the door and peeked out; the sun was beaming down on the small town. I looked around, there were a few guards at the end of the street.

"You're going to need some help." I heard Ellena say. "Kedah and Brush, help her out." The girl of the group and the oldest guy walked out of the house. "Give them a minute then you'll be able to leave. Are you really leaving?" She asked.

I nodded and looked at her. "I'm positive about it."

I head a slight whistle. "You better go before they come back." Ellena said. "Bye, Cynthia." I nodded my goodbye and ran across the street and into the woods. I slipped through the fence and stopped. I got out my map and studied it. I know the way back to the City but that was an excuse to stay near longer.

I started walking back to the cave. Once I reached it something hit me like a brick. _My reputation? _I sounded like Maxina. Worse, I did sound like a prissy. They were standing up for Sinnoh's rights and warring against Lea of all people. I shook my head. _What happened there? _I turned around and sprinted back to Oreburgh.

I hid behind the bush, the group of rebels were standing near Ellena's house. I poked my head and tried to wave at them. "Hey!" I finally yelled. The guards at the ends of the street didn't do anything, but everyone turned their head my way. I tried a smile. Kedah rolled her eyes but Ellena rushed over.

"You came back?" There was hope in her tone.

"Of course I did. I realized that you guys are good."

Ellena looked around. "Stay here, we'll be over shortly." She walked back to her group. They walked back to Ellena's house.

I waited a few minutes crouched behind the brush. I saw the group poke their heads out of the cabin and sprint across the road. They all crowded into the small secluded area of trees. They all held brown cloths on their hands. Then I remembered: They wore cloaks in Eterna Forest.

Ellena handed me one. "This was Sake's. It probably fits you." They all put theirs on.

"Wait, you mean we're going to go out _now_?" Ellena nodded. "I don't think I'm ready for that." _Was_ I ready? This was a huge deal. _I can't go blow up something now! _I hadn't had time to process the whole thing. But recently acting on impulse was my thing.

"All we're doing is going to Solaceon. We're going to meet with Hilbert and get his permission to set a bomb off on a hotspot." Ellena tried to reassure me.

"Hotspot?" I echoed.

"It's a place where we think is a good spot to bomb." One of the others said. "Normally it's a place with a superstitious legend, like where we want now."

"What's the legend?" I asked.

"That there's an underground tunnel where a lot of evil Ghost Types roam." Kedah, the girl of the group, explained. She smirked. "We're going to scare the crap out of Lea."

Without thinking everything through and running on impulse, I took a deep breath and pulled the cloak over my head. It fit well, practically perfect. Everyone put their hoods up, I followed.

"Now you have been cloaked." Ellena grinned. Most of her face was shaded by her hood, but I could still see her mouth and chin. "Royally cloaked."

"Make that _rebelly_ cloaked." Someone said.

We laughed and I fixed my black bag on my shoulder. We slipped through the fence. I pulled out all my Pokéballs and attached them to my belt loops. Then we were off.

We walked through the woods for a few minutes. Ellena introduced me to everyone. There was Brush, the oldest of the group. He was in his twenties. He had dark skin, like the rest of the rebels, and raven black hair. Ellena and he led the group. There was Tag, he was the tallest and skinniest. He was a year or so older than I with dark blonde hair. Apart from Kedah there was only one other, Carrick. He was very quiet and never spoke. He was probably eighteen or so.

"We have limited time we can leave," Explained Brush, "we have to leave after mine hours and come back before morning. That means we usually end up running home, sometimes we can't even finish a mission. And sometimes some of us can't go. I can't miss a mine day, but Carrick works in the back and won't be missed. I, however, work right in the front. That's why Sake, Ellena and Kedah were such key aspects, they could always leave without us. Now you're a key aspect."

But I knew I couldn't stay with the rebels. I had gyms and training, I could only help every once in a while. I wasn't going to tell them that until after the bombing.

We walked through the cave. It was damp and dim. You could hear water drip from the ceiling to the floor. Zubat fluttered about, but none challenged. Once we saw the light shining through the exit we all filed out. Our pace quickened and realization of what was going on hit me like a load of rocks. My heart rate increased by millions and I fell to the back of the group. I was hoping the presence would return and feed me peace. I stopped fearing it and began trusting it.

_I can't worry about this now. _I told myself. I needed to focus. And wishing I had peace and tranquility wasn't helping. _Soon I will need to figure out how to rid the thing from my life, but right now I need to get this out of my head! _But I couldn't stop thinking about it. I knew I needed to turn to something else, so I did. I started thinking about Celestic. It had been so long since I had seen Grandmother. My heart ached.

After a while we passed Hearthrome. We started following paths I wasn't familiar with. I looked at my map, we weren't technically on the map. That proved how much Lea had hidden and how much he wanted to control, and how much he _did_ control.

My mind revolved everywhere at once, but soon I gained confidence and concentrated on what was ahead.

We came upon a white picket fence at the edge of the forest. Everyone leapt over it. I grabbed the top of the fence and hoisted myself over swiftly. We walked towards a building. Then I realized where we were. We were in Solaceon going towards the Day Care. We were in the area where they kept the Pokémon, but there were none around.

We went to the side door and knocked. After a moment Hilbert poked his head out. "I'll meet ya in a minute." He muttered and shut the door. We jogged across the field and to a white gate. Brush opened it and led the way back into the woods.

There was a clearing close by with a hut-like thing made out of branches in the middle of it. Everyone pulled their hoods down. Brush walked into the tiny hut and swiped away the browning leaves that covered the ground. The leaves hid a trapdoor big enough to fit a person. He grabbed the latch and opened it. Dust and dirt particles shot up into the air. Brush slid into the hole and Carrick followed. Ellena pushed me closer to the hole and I jumped down.

The room was cold. A lantern lit the area. It was a good size, everyone fit comfortably. There were built-in shelves filled with cans of food, canteens, towels, blankets and lanterns. It reminded me of the secret place in the mine in Oreburgh. Then it made sense: That was a rebel safe-spot just like here.

"Alright rebels, let's get down to business." Tag grinned and sat at an empty space on the shelf.

"We have to wait for Hilbert's permission." Ellena reminded him. "He might not even go for it."

"_Please_. Hilbert hates Lea Loser as much as any of us." Kedah commented.

"But he cares too much for Solaceon. Minus the misfire in the mine, this is the first time we're attacking so closely to here." Brush brought a good point. "Here's how it's going to down." He started explaining what each of us would do when the time came.

Basically, Brush and Carrick would set the bomb off on the hotspot. Tag would use his Mr. Mime and set a force field so no one can come near the area. Kedah and I would take watch, if anyone passes the force field (Although unlikely) or Mr. Mime fails, we could do whatever needed to stop them and be backup. Ellena was going to stand near Carrick and Brush and come in when needed. They said this was a simple mission, although I didn't think it was simple, I was thankful it wasn't a hard one.

There was a knock on the door. Brush opened it. Hilbert stood there. "Sorry folks." He slid down into the room. "Now what's goin' on?"

Ellena approached him. "We want permission to bomb a hotspot on Route 209."

Hilbert sighed rubbed his eyes with his pointer finger and thumb. "Ellena, ya know I can't just'a let ya bomb near Solaceon. Red would have my hide! The citizens are 'ready scared batty."

"But it's a hotspot. There's an old legend that goes along with it." Brush said.

"What's this legend say?" Hilbert asked. "And why are we still tryin' to do this? We ain't gettin' nowhere."

"We're doing this for Sinnoh, we can't give up!" Kedah yelled.

"Watch it." Brush said. He pulled out a yellowed piece of paper and unfolded it. He showed it to everyone else. It was a first edition Sinnoh map. The towns were named differently, and the half of Sinnoh with Jubilife was a bunch of trees.

"This is Old Sinnoh map. Right here," He pointed to Solaceon and Route 209, "was called Mengutuk. It means curse." He turned the back of the map towards us. Words and diagrams were scrawled out on the paper. "This explains that Mengutuk was cursed because bad spirits roamed around. The natives tried to make a village, but they scared them away. Then, it says Legendaries opened a tunnel leading underground and sent the evil spirits away. After they sent the bad spirits down the tunnel, they sealed it closed. Legend says that's why the Unknowns are drawn to this place." The diagrams showed a tunnel-like thing coming from the ground and Unknowns surrounding it.

"So why are we bombin' it? If an evil somethin' comes into Solaceon the citizens really won't be happy campers." Hilbert said. "Lea might not even know 'bout this riddle."

"Oh, he knows." Ellena said. "This was sent from Canalave library. This was in a file in the _restricted _section." She turned to me. "Everything in the restricted section is what Lea wants to hide."

"Still, he may not even care."

"Hilbert, he has to care." Tag said. "He's freaky superstitious."

"Let's turn this around, what if the legend is true and the bad ghoul haunts you guys?" Hilbert said.

"If it is we'll take it down. Carrick and me will be right there ready to fight. No ghoul, ghost or monster is getting past us. And it he does, Ellena is right there. She can call Cynthia, Kedah and Tag, and then the thing will definitely have a fight."

Hilbert looked over and met my eyes. "Cynthia! Howdy girl." He smiled. "Glad to see ya joined the gang here." He looked around. "Say, where's Sake?"

"Long story short, she's a fake Sake who worked with Lea and Cynthia took her place." Tag said.

"…Oh." He looked shocked. "Well ain't that somethin'?" He took a seat on a wooden crate.

"Anyways, will you let us get this hotspot?" Ellena asked.

He stroked his white beard in thought. "I guess. But ya have't take extra precaution! If you're caught by someone, especially Hilda, you and me will be in trouble!"

"_Hilda_?" I echoed. "Your wife doesn't know you work with the rebels?"

He sighed. "That be correct. I can't tell her, it's fer her safety ya know." It did make sense, but I didn't like it. I couldn't tell Grandmother or anyone I worked with them. Even if it was just that once.

"Alright, thanks Hilbert. We'll only take a little while then we'll be on our way." Brush said.

"Okay youngins. Be safe and please, _please _be careful." Carrick moved the wooden ladder over to the door. Hilbert climbed up and out.

Brush grabbed a bag and some matches. I assumed the bombs were in the bag. He threw it over his shoulder and pulled his hood up, I did the same. We climbed up the ladder and Tag closed the door and covered it with leaves. Then we jogged off towards Route 209.

* * *

><p>Kedah and I stood in a group of trees on Route 209. Tag stood nearby and commanded his Mr. Mime to use the move Protect. It had turned into a force field wall, it was amazing. Brush and Carrick were to our left working on setting off the bomb. Ellena was somewhere secluded in the trees behind them.<p>

I heard a whistle. That was the sign that the bomb was going to explode. I looked over and covered my ears. The bomb exploded and fire lit up. Carrick and Brush were far enough away not to worry about being hit.

"Let's go." Kedah whispered. We ran towards the area. The ground looked a bit distressed, but there were no trees around to take a blow. In fact it was close to the water's edge. Brush, Carrick and Ellena came up behind us. The ground was shaking. Right where the bomb went off the dirt collapsed, and then a rock tunnel came up from the ground. It came up to my shoulder and probably was as big around as me.

We surrounded the tunnel, not sure of what would happen. I half-thought that the presence would tell me if something bad would happen, so I was confident.

The problem: Nothing happened.

"What the Sinnoh is taking it so long?" Ellena said.

"It may not exist." Brush scratched his chin. He hesitantly walked to the tunnel and peered in. "It looks like some sort of… Key it needed." He looked at the Old Sinnoh map again. "This says nothing about a key!"

I felt something nudge my side. I looked down, nothing but my bag. Then I saw something bump the inside of it. Something was trying to get out. I quickly unzipped the top and the thing flew out. It stopped in front of my face. It was the rock Grandmother gave to me. The one with the line on it. Now the line was filled with purple-looking energy running through it. It zoomed over to the tunnel and lowered itself down.

"Cynthia, how'd you get that?!" Kedah asked. But no one paid attention to her.

A huge shadow formed at the top of the tunnel. _What have I done?!_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Authors Note: <em>Hey there readers! Just a few things... **

**There was some word-confusion when Ellena was explaining the rebel history last chapter that I cleared up. I hope the whole thing isn't so confusing. Now we're at chapter fifteen, and I'm not sure that we're halfway done yet! But my stories have a mind of their own, so who knows really. **

**Thank you all for reviewing and reading and supporting! It's flippin' fantastic! **

**Via: Thank you so much for your kind words. I went and edited where you said necessary. Finding your reviews are like getting little gifts of smiles! **

**Espeon: Thanks for your reviews, it's so cool getting them from you since you're such a good writer. **

**Flubby: As usual, THANK YOU for your continual read! I love your story so the fact you like mine is so-so-so great. **

**And thank you everybody else for reading. **


	17. Pieces

_Chapter Sixteen: Pieces_

_And Everything Came Crashing Down _

The shock of having a possessed rock with me hit hard, I was basically pleading for insane, unnatural peace. My heart rate increased immensely. The shadow figure coming out of the tunnel grew larger and larger. It was unlike any Pokémon I had seen before, that frightened me.

"Stand guard!" Brush yelled. That brought me back to the moment. The transparent circle had floated above the tunnel and was levitating back to the ground. Once the circle hit the ground, green orbs joined the purple Pokémon.

Two green dots appeared on it and a green zigzag line. Then I realized: The dots and line matched the one on the rock, those were symbolic eyes and mouth. But now this thing was real, and we needed to fight.

"We need to fight!" I yelled, echoing my thoughts.

"It's too dangerous!" Brush yelled back.

_It might be too dangerous for them, but it isn't for me. _I grabbed the Pokéball from my belt loop and released the Pokémon. "Noctowl, use Peck!" My bird flapped his great wings and soared to the foe. He pecked the Ghost Type hard, it screeched an ear-piercing cry.

"Geodude, fight good!" I recognized Ellena's voice. "Rock Throw." The Geodude hurled rock at the circle, every time it hit the rival would screech and become more and more angry.

The Ghost Type melted down to a shadow puddle and zoomed over to Geodude. The spirit appeared behind Geodude and wailed on him hard with a ghostly fist. He flew across the air and headed straight towards the water nearby.

"Noctowl grab him!" My Pokémon flew over to Geodude and grabbed his rock body with his talons. "Nice job." I praised.

"Mr. Mime, use Magical Leaf!" Tag had joined us. His Mr. Mime made green and yellow leaves swirl around his hands. They shot over to the foe and hit it hard. It screamed and created a gust of black wind that shot towards my Pokémon. "Protect!" Mr. Mime made a clear blue shield that protected my Noctowl from the attack.

"Noctowl Peck." I commanded. Noctowl flew to the rival and pecked it hard, it winced and fell backwards.

"Tackle, now." Ellena yelled. Geodude tackled the fallen Pokémon. It screeched in pain and my instincts kicked in. I reached in my bag and grabbed an empty Pokéball. I tossed it at the Ghost Type. It opened and sucked the purple Pokémon in.

"What are you doing?!" Kedah shouted. The ball shook.

"Trying to catch it, it wouldn't be safe to let it wonder the town!" The ball shook more.

The ball popped open. The purple shadow popped out, its eyes blazing red. It screeched and screamed.

"Psybeam!" Tag commanded. Mr. Mime sent psychic waves out to the foe, but nothing happened. It was immune to psychic attacks. That just made it angrier. It slinked over to Mr. Mime and punched him with a shadowy fist. Mr. Mime was knocked to the ground.

"Peck again." I shouted. Noctowl swooped into the air and stated pecking the Ghost Type.

"Rock Throw." Ellena commanded. Geodude threw rocks at the foe while my Pokémon was pecking it, we double teamed the thing. I grabbed another Pokéball and tossed it. The foe was sucked in again.

This time there was no shaking, the light blinked rapidly. Everyone was in uproar. There was a huge group hug where everyone piled around me, including Carrick.

"You did it you did it!" They cheered. Yes, it was nice being cheered for. Especially when they weren't Golden's. We returned our Pokémon and gathered out things. Then it was back to the hut.

* * *

><p>We all sat in the room under the hut. Hilbert met up with us again. Brush explained to him what happened with the tunnel. Everyone agreed to let me keep the Ghost Type. I thought that was unnecessary but I accepted. Hilbert told us that Lea shut down the Day Care. He received a note that said Pokémon weren't <em>that<em> important. So now Hilbert and Hilda were going into bankruptcy. Solaceon's Center stopped being funded by the League. That resulted in extra-extra taxes being taken by the citizens. Solaceon was turning into Oreburgh.

Shortly we all left off for Oreburgh. Once we got out of Solaceon I decided to tell everyone that I couldn't stay with them and that I would go back to Hearthrome and leave for the next gym.

"Everyone, I have something I need to get straight." They all stopped walking and turned towards me. I pulled my hood down so they could see my face. "I can't stay in Oreburgh with you all. I have battling. I could help you every once in a while, but not full-time."

Brush nodded. "We understood that when we wanted you to join us. We never intended you to quit battles. Whenever we need you, trust me, we'll find you."

"Yeah, you don't need to quit being a trainer. That's why we wanted you. You're powerful. Probably tougher than all of us put together, including Tag and his Mr. Mime." Ellena said.

I smirked. "Thanks. Now, I'm going to head back to Hearthrome and to Veilstone for the next gym. When's the next attack?"

Ellena shrugged. "Hopefully there won't be one. Lea will think we let out a spook, apparently a very evil spook since Legendary Pokémon sealed it away, and he'll be so scared of the things under his bed that he won't bother fighting back."

"You can't seriously think that's going to stop him, he has guards. _You _of all people should know that." I said.

"Cynthia, we know what we're doing. We're trying to warn him and stop him."

"Stop him from what exactly? He won't just say 'Oh, the rebels won, I'm defeated, I'll retire and let someone else take over.' No. He doesn't work like that. He craves power. He lives the highlife up at the League, whatever goes on down here isn't his problem. It's only his problem when Golden's start getting involved, and that won't happen because they don't let anyone into the Golden Cities. Especially Hearthrome, that's the heart. I hardly got in! I only got in because of stupidity and because I'm from a small town no one cares about."

Everyone thought for a moment. Brush scratched his chin. "We're stopping him from taxing towns and making all our lives like a bunch of crap. Every town, eventually, is going to turn out like ours unless someone stops him. That's what we're doing, we're trying to scare him enough to get the point across. Don't you understand?" He asked.

I nodded. I did understand, but something was missing from the whole thing. It was like the picture was put together and only one piece was out. Some people would ignore the piece and focus only on what they had. While others would search for the piece until they find it and place it with the rest of the picture, making it whole. This was that time. I was afraid the rebels were looking on only what they had while I was the only one worried about this missing piece. And Lea was conniving, he probably had every piece and then some. We needed to be whole, one-hundred percent. Ninety-nine percent wouldn't cut it.

I had a right mind to bring this up to them right then, but I didn't because I knew I needed to find that missing piece. Once I did I would tell them and we would tackle it together, as a team.

"Alright then." Ellena said. "I guess this is where we go different ways. Good luck and I'll see you later."

I nodded. "Goodbye all." I smiled and walked towards my next destination.

* * *

><p>The sun was setting when I reached Solaceon again. I checked my map and estimated another few hours to Veilstone. I decided to stay the night with Hilda and Hilbert if they were willing. I walked to the Day Care and entered. The first room, the lobby, was lit by a single lamp on the desk. I walked into the next room which was their living area. Hilbert sat on the couch, fixated on the television.<p>

"Hello." I greeted. He looked at me.

"Howdy girl! Nice t' see ya again. What can I do for ya?"

"I was wondering if I could stay the night tonight, it's getting a bit late to travel on."

"Why of course you can stay, dear." Hilda walked into the room. "Carolina's grandkid is welcomed anytime."

"Thank you Hilda." I smiled. I loved them, they were like my grandparents. "How's Grandmother doing?"

"She's doin' fine. She was here just the other day buyin' some supplies and such." The mention of my grandmother made my heart do a flip-flop. I missed her so much.

The night went on. I ate some soup and took a quick shower. Then I went into the insanely pink room and lay in bed. The weight of the day covered me; it lulled me to sleep instantly.

* * *

><p>Rain poured down on me hard. I was on Route 215 and caught in a rainstorm. I was soaked. I could see Veilstone in the distance. There was a huge skyscraper, I assumed that was the new mall. My pace quickened. I was sprinting through the downpour and splashing through the puddles that collected on the ground. The muddy ground turned to pavement under my feet. <em>Great. A Golden City in the making or a rich city. <em>

I ran into the city limits, luckily there wasn't a white building I had to go through. I stopped sprinting and looked around. There were three skyscrapers standing next to each other. Two of them had 'Golden Enterprises' above the door, the other said 'Bullion Mall.' I ran to that one.

The doors slid open automatically, much like an elevator door. I walked in and my mouth fell open. It was huge. In the middle of the room there was a staircase that _moved. _The steps moved upwards on one, and down on the other. That place was a technological nightmare. Large TV screens filled the walls, they were all for sale. Other indescribable machinery was being sold there.

I couldn't take being there much longer. Another city was turning into a Golden City. Another city was becoming manipulated by Lea. Another city was causing others into destruction… I couldn't take it. I know it would be a matter of time before Celestic turned into Oreburgh. _Why hasn't it? _I wondered. _All other cities are connected to Lea somehow… How come Celestic isn't? Has he forgotten it exists? Impossible. _Then a weird thought hit. _…What if it's because I live there? _This didn't make sense, however, because Oreburgh was in poverty before I ever came into the picture. But the fact Lea knew anything about me made my skin crawl.

I left the mall, the rain had lightened. I looked for another public place. I found a Center. I healed up my Pokémon and got a room. This Center wasn't huge, it was much like Floaroma's. One story with a few overnight rooms. At least that wasn't Golden.

"Could you tell me what Pokémon this is?" I picked up my Level Two Pokéball. Level Two or Great Ball just means it seals better against Pokémon. My Level Two is what I used to catch my Ghost Type.

The nurse said yes and sat the ball on the screen. "It says it's a Spiritomb. Very rare, if you ask me. You have a girl, level range is twenty-five to thirty, and she's a Ghost Type."

"Thank you." I said. I walked to my room and slipped in. I had a lot of thinking to do. The plan was to wait until the rain stopped and then I would need to find a good place to train.

Immediately I thought of my Pokémon. I had no idea what the next gym would lead to, but I knew I had to get my Pokémon stronger. Gible would be my priority, she needed a good training session. My new Pokémon would have to be trained. Surprisingly I wasn't scared of her. I started to think that if I should be scared the presence would tell me. Yes, I was becoming addicted to the overall peace and clarity.

Now was for the hard decision: Who would I get rid of for Spiritomb? It was illegal to have more than six Pokémon in your possession. That was one, and maybe the only, rule left untouched through the years.

I started unpacking my bag. The letter from Jamie haunted me _again._ I hoped Ember had gone back to Celestic. The thought of him out there getting involved in the Golden Cities made me scared, honestly. I cared about Ember.

"Oh, Ember. Why do you have to be so hotheaded?" I sighed.

The day went on. I unpacked and repacked my bag as I waited for the rain to stop. It did. I went out to town and sent a letter to Grandmother and Jamie, I asked them to write back soon about Ember. I walked into the woods and found a small field. I decided that would do for training.

I began training with Gible. She started by being stubborn, but gradually started getting some work done. She was _huge, _I knew she was close to evolving.

"Alright Gible, Sandstorm." Gible growled at me. "What, _now_ you don't want to train?" She flopped down on her stomach. "Gible!" I swore at the Pokémon. "Get up and do what you're told!" She growled again. "You don't scare me." Then she leapt up and roared. It was a real Dragon roar. I was impressed. I sighed. "Listen Snorlax, you're about to evolve. We need to keep training! You should have evolved a few levels ago, why are you acting this way?!"

She showed her sharp teeth and growled. Wasn't my Pokémon just lovely? "I could just get rid of _you_ and replace _you_ with Spiritomb. Want that? Then you would never have to train again, is that what you want?" I yelled.

She rolled on her back and closed her eyes. "Gible!" A moment went by, and then she was snoring.

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Note: A short chapter, I have been shortening my chapters since the beginning. I want to know if you guys like my older long chapters or if these shorter chapters work. Also, how do you guys like the plot? What do <em>you <em>think is going to happen? **

**Thanks for reading! **


	18. Worries

_Chapter Seventeen: Worries_

_And Everything Came Crashing Down _

Two days passed while I was in Veilstone City. I needed to do some serious training and one day wasn't going to be enough. Whenever I asked around about the Leader, everyone would tell me that he's a loner who hides up in the gym. I learned that he was a Flying Type trainer, which made me both anxious and nervous. _How would my Pokémon do against Flying Types?_ I would ask myself. But nonetheless, I was confident.

Another rainstorm had hit which delayed training for that day. It was right after lunchtime. I was up in my room in the Center. I had let out Togepi, who had trained hard the day before, and was sitting on the floor with her in my lap. I knew that if I was caught I would be in trouble, but I was a rebel wasn't I?

I flopped on the sofa and Thumper joined me. I grabbed my two pieces of mail I had received that day. One was from Jamie and the other was from Oliver. I opened his first.

_Hey Cynthia, _

_ Annie has started to rebuild statues for Dialga and Palkia where the tower used to be. It's coming along greatly. Also, I took the gems down to my good friend Indi. He did some scientific mumbo-jumbo on it. _

_ After discussing his findings with Annie, they have started coming to the conclusion that those statues, and most importantly the gems, held a spirit of a Pokémon. Freaky, huh? Now I'm going to do some major Pokémon studying to try to figure out which Pokémon. And hopefully why they were trapped in statues. _

_ How are your findings coming along? _

_ Oliver Greene _

I would have to write him back later, now it was time to get the latest on Ember.

_Cyn, _

_ Hi. I wanted to write you right away about Ember. I talked with Isis and Donald the other day, they said that before he left he was talking about how 'He didn't have a life and he should be the one out there.' They got into a huge fight. Donald was telling him he wasn't responsible enough to leave, which only made him more angry of course, and he stormed to his room and the next morning he was gone. _

_ Isis is worried sick. And I mean sick, she's ill. If Ember knew that he'd come home! But we haven't heard a thing. My guess is he went out to be a trainer. So we'll know in a few days if he's on television getting interviewed. _

_ Good Luck and Stay Strong, _

_ Jamie _

Great. Ember left because _I'm _a trainer and he isn't. Talk about a guilt trip.

I decided to write Oliver back. I grabbed a piece of paper and quickly wrote down my 'findings.'

_Dear Oliver, _

_ My findings have not completely come as planned, in all honesty. The whole thing is confusing and I hardly have time to figure anything out. You seem to be doing well on your own however. _

_ Keep up the good work, _

_ Cynthia Everheart_

Yes, I know it was half-hearted, but I couldn't just tell him everything about the rebels and why they bombed it. I still needed to learn more about those statues, but the question was 'when would I?'

I walked outside and made my way to the training field. The rain had stopped but it made the ground muddy once I got off pavement. I released Noctowl. "Alright, take this to Eterna City." I handed the folded paper to my Flying Type. He nodded and grabbed the paper with his beak then he soared up to the heavens. That would delay my battle a while also.

I sighed and released Togepi again. She had become my little companion. Staying in one place for more than one night, especially when you're not busy-busy all the time, you seek a little company. I found a spot where the sun had slipped through the clouds and sat there. Togepi, or Thumper, hopped on my lap. I released Roselia, Psyduck and Bibarel. We all sat in the sunbeam and relaxed.

After a while the grass became less wet so I began training. First was with Togepi. She knew Growl, Charm and Metronome. She was getting stronger, but the problem was she was clumsy. She would fall over at random times. It was a 'Roll your eyes' moment.

Then I trained with Roselia. Her speed was impeccable, and she was so tough. I definitely couldn't rid her from my team. Bibarel learned a new move, which was nice. And Psyduck was still a creepy quack who stared at me wide-eyed. He's one I would happily rid, but he's also one of the strongest on my team.

Last I got out Gible. She refused to train _at all_. "You're about to evolve!" I would tell her. She _was_ about to evolve, she was past the level of evolution. Yet she just _wouldn't_. I worried that I had a broken Dragon Type. _Of course Grandfather would give me a broken Pokémon, and he would say 'Cynthia, it's for your own good. You'll train harder and better because of her.' Lucky me. _Well I knew Grandfather always meant the best, that's what matters.

I returned all my Pokémon and went back into town. There wasn't anything for you to do unless you went shopping. I normally took my sweet time going back to the Center where I would then unpack my bag, examine everything within it, and then repack it. Wasn't I just a big ball of fun time?

Truth it, Veilstone wasn't any fun. It was an in-between city like Eterna. Wasn't Golden wasn't normal. What I gathered was that it could be Golden, but because of the rain and mud it wasn't 'fit' enough.

I decided to be adventurous and go down a new road. I walked passed a bunch of houses. _So this is the part of Veilstone that's normal. _I thought. Houses lined the sides and the road turned to dirt, no more pavements. The houses were much like Eterna, they were about two-story and probably had the average amount of rooms.

It was nice to see kids running and playing on the streets. It made me smile, actually. _This_ was why it wasn't Golden.

I walked down another road. The pavement started back up on this one. I saw a building all lit up and blinking. I got closer. It was a large building with a fluorescent sign that read 'Veilstone Game Corner.' I could hear yelling, angry and happy, coming from the inside. Curiosity got to me; I had to see what was inside.

I walked up to the door. It was fluorescent and mesmerizing. I reached to push it open, but I was stopped. The presence returned.

"What do you want?" I whispered. Aggravation grew in my voice with every word.

"This is not your place."

"My _place_? You cannot control where I go and what I do. You cannot control me!" I whispered hostilely.

"I am not trying to control you. I am warning you."

The grip on my hand released. I pushed open the door and walked in.

The place smelled harshly of spirits. In fact it burned my eyes. The yelling was ten-times louder and intense. The room was only lit by the fluorescent screens of the machines. Lots and lots of people sat at these machines and yelled at it when the screen didn't show them what they wanted.

I studied the people, and then I realized, they were all Lea's guards. They lined the back wall and watched everyone. It was suspicious.

Guilt rushed over me. Not normal eat-at-your-stomach guilt, insane unnatural guilt that the presence was feeding me. _This is not fair! _I screamed in-mind. The guilt was almost like pain. It rived through me. I could feel vomit form in the base of my throat. I turned around and left. Once I got a few feet away from the door the guilt disappeared.

The sun was starting to set. I turned to look for the sunset. It was reflecting off of the water in the distance. It was beautiful.

I made my way to my field. Noctowl hadn't returned. I sat on the ground and sighed. "Listen, I don't know what you are or why you're haunting me, but you cannot control me like that." I said through clenched teeth.

Nothing. I couldn't feel the presence.

"Fine. Don't listen. If you don't listen to me, I sure as Sinnoh won't listen to you."

* * *

><p>The next morning I got up earlier than usual. The sun hadn't started coming into the world yet. I clicked on the overhead light and crawled out of bed. Thumper was curled up under the blanket at my feet. She poked her head out and glared at me. "Time to get up." I said. She groaned and crawled back under. I laughed. "Fine, sleep in. But today's the big gym day." I still waited for Noctowl to return. I didn't think it took this long for a bird to get to Eterna, but I wasn't familiar with flight travel anyways.<p>

I took a shower and raked through my hair. I pulled it up into a Ponyta-tail then started for the breakfast room.

Once I got there I started filling my plate with potallion berries. Potallion berries were Veilstone's specialty. Because of their soil it's the only berry they can grow. It grows in the ground and sprouts little plants, and it's very good. I've had many variations of the odd-textured berry, but my favorite was the breakfast style. They were put into patties of sorts with syrup on them. It was _very_ good.

I was just sitting at a table enjoying my meal when I heard screams. "Run, run! There's a Pokémon on the loose!" A lady ran into the dining room. "Run!" She shrieked.

I jumped up and went to her. I grabbed her shoulders to keep her in place. "What is going on?" I asked.

She breathed hard. "A—a Pokémon! It—it's in the hallway! Nurses are going after it!"

I took off for the hallway. I didn't think anything of it, just that somebody's Pokémon got loose. I reached the hallway where the rooms were. Three nurses stood there.

"Where is it?!" One said.

"I don't know, I saw it a moment ago!"

"Well what does it look like?" Another said.

"I'm not sure. It looked strange, and I only saw it for a second."

"It probably left this hallway then." I said.

The nurses looked at me, than at each other. "She's right. I'll check the lobby."

"I'll check the backroom." Another said.

"I'll go ask the lady what it looked like." The last one said.

"And I'll stay here." I added. They left and I walked down the hall. Once I got to my room I realized my door was opened. _Strange. _I thought. I poked my head in. It didn't appear that any Pokémon was in there. Then it hit me: Togepi.

"Oh no." I muttered. I shut my door and searched the hall. "Thumper, where are you?" I said. I sprinted down the hall and into the lobby. The nurse wasn't there. "Oh no!" I ran into the breakfast room. The other nurse was talking to the hysterical lady.

The two nurses came out of the backroom. "Any luck?" One asked me.

Just then, I saw something from the corner of my eye. I turned my head ever so slightly and looked, Togepi was huddled under the sofa shaking. She was scared.

"Nope. None at all." I lied. "But I did hear some weird noises coming from room 4B." Lie. The nurses looked at each other then ran to the hall.

I turned and ran to my Pokémon. "Oh Thumper, you weren't supposed to leave my room!" She started crawling out. Then I noticed that this wasn't Thumper. Well, the face was, but the body was different. She was taller, didn't have an eggshell and two small wings protruded from her back. "You evolved!" I whispered. "That's awesome!" I scooped up my newly evolved Togepi, who was heavier might I add, and sprinted to my room.

Once I got in and put her in her Pokéball. "Sorry Thumper, but you can't escape like that again."

After I went back to my breakfast and continued. The nurses still searched and the frantic lady cried. A had no idea why she was afraid of Thumper, but Lea had everyone thinking wild Pokémon were bad.

I gathered my Pokémon and went out to train before I challenged the gym. The sun had poked its head up and gave light to the world. The morning dew still sat on the grass and the fresh air filled the trees with happiness. Once I reached the field I hoped to see Noctowl waiting for me. Nope, he hadn't shown up.

Worry filled me, what could have happened to my trusted Pokémon? He was smarter than all my others, he wouldn't have gotten lost. Besides, Flying Types have amazing instincts. But if he didn't show up I would have to challenge without him.

Training went well. Minus the fact Gible refused to train… Again. But Thumper definitely was stronger and less clumsy. That was nice.

I trained for another hour or so then I waited for Noctowl. Still nothing. I was very worried. But I still had to challenge the gym. I sighed. "Alright, I guess I'm going."

I started back into the city. I assumed the gym would be opened by now. I walked back to the Center and dropped off my bag and attached my Pokéballs to the belt loops of my pants. I quickly went to the gym. It was open. The blue and tan building was average sized, that made me less nervous. Huge arenas make it harder to focus.

I entered the gym. The field was blue with a large tan bird figure painted in the middle. In the back the door opened and a man, probably sixteen or so, walked out. He had blue hair that was spiked up and wore a blue and tan sweatshirt and matching pants.

"Are you Rhy?" I asked. Rhy was the gym leader.

"You better believe it. You're Cynthia Everheart, the one who's making her way to the top of the food chain." He said matter-o-fact. He approached me. "You're going to have your very first lose today." He smirked.

"I have to disagree with you." I said.

"I've been training for days, my Flying Types are near perfection."

I nodded. "Let's just see who the better one here is."

"I don't like an audience, it's… Not my thing. So, unfortunately, you won't have your fan clubs and television crews with you." His voice always sounded sarcastic.

"Good, I fight better without them." I walked to my side of the field, he walked to his. I grabbed my Pokémon, he grabbed his Pokémon.

"Pelipper, I choose you!" A huge Flying Type came out. It stood as tall as me, had a large beak and huge talons. It was mainly white with some blue stripes throughout it.

"Bibarel, fight well!" I released my Pokémon. He hissed and got into position.

"Wing Attack." Rhy commanded. The foe glided over and smashed its wing into Bibarel.

"Hyper Fang!" Bibarel quickly bit the Pelipper. It squawked and pushed my Pokémon away.

"Payback." The opponent hit Bibarel hard and sent him across the field.

"Rollout." I yelled. He rolled pack to the Bird Type, who was hovering in the air, and leapt up and knocked it down. He used the move three more times.

"Wing Attack." Rhy shouted. Pelipper slapped Bibarel across the face then flew up into the air. The bird went back to its place in front of its owner.

"Headbutt." Bibarel used Headbutt perfectly. Pelipper fell to the ground. "Hyper Fang!" Bibarel bit it hard on the right wing. The foe cried out in pain. Then it stopped fighting and whimpered. It was unable to battle. I grinned.

"Whatever. Chatot, go." A smaller Bird Type came out. It had an oddly shaped head, vivid colors and a red nose. "Use Chatter." Chatot opened its beak and squawked loudly. It pinched my ears. Bibarel fell to the ground and moaned. He kept twitching.

"Rollout Bibarel." I said. But he wouldn't move, he was confused. I returned the Pokémon and released Psyduck. "Water Pulse." My Pokémon sent waves of water out to the rival. They hit hard and knocked it over. "Run and use Scratch." He waddled quickly over to the fallen Pokémon and pinned it down. He started scratching the Pokémon with his long claws.

The opponent pushed Psyduck away. "Mirror Move." Rhy commanded.

"Mirror Move." Chatot repeated. It flew to Psyduck and used Scratch on him. He winced and whined.

"Escape it!" I shrieked. Psyduck managed to stand up and waddle back to me. "Water Gun." He shot water at the Pokémon. It fell back to the ground, but only for a second.

"Sing." Chatot squawked and then started to chirp, or hum rather, a calming tune. I felt myself being pulled into peace, much like what the presence did to me. I accepted it instead of fought it. My eyes started to droop. _Why am I… So… So… _My eyes closed. I started to lose balance. I slowly lost feeling in my leg. _…Sleepy…_ Then my eyes shot open. The Pokémon almost put me to sleep. I looked at Psyduck, he was out like a Snorlax. Great.

I sighed out of anger. I returned Psyduck. That's two Pokémon down. I had Spiritomb, but Ghost Type moves wouldn't do anything to Flying Types. Togetic wasn't tough enough to battle a gym yet. Roselia would faint as soon as she saw a bird beak. That left Snorlax-Gible, the Pokémon who doesn't listen. Lovely, right?

But I wasn't going to show any lack of confidence. "Finish Chatot, Gible." I released my stubborn Pokémon. She came out and glared at me. Growls rumbled in her stomach. She sat down on her haunches.

"Chatot, Chatter!"

"Chatter!" Chatot echoed. It squawked loudly. I covered my ears, but Gible took a hit. She rolled on her side and growled. She reached her paw and tried to cover… Wherever her ears were, I guess. But she couldn't and that made her angrier.

"Dragon Rage." I commanded. Gible roared and rolled onto her back. I rolled my eyes.

Rhy smirked. "Mirror Move." _Uh oh. _Dragon moves affect Dragon Types insanely. Gible would be hit hard if she didn't use any defense. And it wasn't looking like she would.

Chatot stood there and cocked its head. Rhy frowned.

I laughed. "Looks like she can't mirror what she didn't see."

"_He_." Rhy corrected. "And whatever! Use Fury Attack." Chatot flew over to Gible, who was still sleeping on her back, and started to viciously peck and jab his talons into her.

"Fight back!" I growled. "Use Slash!" Gible didn't listen. She roared and tried to kick the foe away.

"Enough, come back." Rhy said. Chatot flew back. Gible stayed on the ground. She was seriously scratched up. She did not defend herself.

"Gible, this is not the time to be stubborn! Use Dragon Rage!" Nothing. All she did was hiss at me.

"Chatter again." Chatot obeyed. Even though I covered my ears it still pinched. Gible was in pain. She roared and leapt up.

I smiled. "Yeah! Gible, Dragon Rage!" She paid no attention to me. She sprinted across the field and slammed into Chatot. She used Take Down. "No, that's not what I said!" She collided with the floor. She took a hit too.

"Mirror Move." _Great! Just great! This is why my Pokémon needs to listen to me and not let her anger get the best of her. _

"Mirror Move!" Chatot confirmed. She slammed into Gible and pushed her to the ground. The only upside was the fact it took some of Chatot's life as well.

"_Dragon Rage_." I yelled. Gible jumped up and slashed her claw over Chatot's chest and left a nice mark. The rival fell to the ground and squawked limply, there was no hope for recovery.

Rhy returned the Pokémon. Gible groaned and fell to the ground. She curled in a ball and winced. I ran out on the field towards her. I crouched at her side, she wasn't injured. "Gible?" She growled.

Rhy came over. "Looks like he doesn't want to evolve."

"She." I corrected. "And what?"

"She's blocking herself from evolving. Some Pokémon do that, it's painful stopping the process though."

"So that explains why she doesn't train."

He shrugged. "Most likely. The question is why she doesn't want to evolve, normally only wild Pokémon do that."

I sighed. "At least you're not broken. You're just dumb." She showed her teeth and hissed. "You don't scare me." I reached out to touch her arm, it was switching a lot. She snapped at my hand and I pulled away. "Come on, stop fighting it." She whimpered then growled. The twitching stopped and she jumped up.

"Too late, she stopped it." Rhy walked back to his side of the field, I did the same. He grabbed his last Pokéball. "Staravia, win this for me!" A grey, brown and white bird came out. I could see that it was focused. It had long wings and beefy talons with large claws.

"Gible—" She already started to fight. My Pokémon did _not_ want to listen to me. A sandstorm circled around the opponent.

"Wing Attack." Rhy yelled. Staravia fought through the storm and flew to Gible, he smashed his wing into her and she hit the ground. She roared and stood up. She used the move Slash and leapt up and cut the foes wing.

"Dragon Rage." I tried. Nothing.

"Quick Attack." The Staravia whipped towards my Pokémon and slammed into her. This Flying Type had great speed.

"Slash." Gible, actually, started to obey. She extended her claws and ran to Staravia, but her claws started to glow purple. She slashed the rival's stomach area. Staravia fell out of his hover and crashed to the ground. That move wasn't Slash, it was much more powerful. And the purple was something dragon related so it must have been Dragon Claw.

"Aerial Ace, Staravia." Rhy shouted. The Flying Type tried to escape the sandstorm, but couldn't. I _tried_ to take advantage of that.

"Slash now!" I yelled. Instead Gible spewed purple energy at the foe. At least she attacked. But then she plopped on the ground and stretched out. She wasn't fighting evolving, she was just being the Snorlax she truly is.

"Quick Attack." Staravia weaved through the sand and attacked Gible. She defended herself somewhat, but still took a good hit. She roared then closed her eyes. She had fainted.

The sandstorm subsided. I decided to bring out Psyduck. I released him. To my luck he had awoken. "Water Pulse." The water slapped Staravia and knocked him down. "Confusion." My Pokémon ran to the rival and met his eyes, a second later Staravia was flying in circles.

"Staravia, Wing Attack!" Staravia ended up running into the wall. He slid to the ground and plopped down on his back. He was down for the count.

I grinned. "Great job Psyduck!" I returned him. Rhy returned Staravia. We met in the middle of the field.

"You fought well." I said.

"Yeah you too." I bit of sarcasm laced his tone. "You're the first to beat me in… Well, I can't remember."

I smirked. "Thank you."

"Your Pokémon are…" He hesitated, "tough. Nice job with training."

I nodded. "Same to you. Although, that wasn't all my Pokémon. My Noctowl is away."

"Away?" He echoed.

"Yes, I sent him to deliver a letter and he's not back yet."

His face tightened. "You shouldn't have done that."

"Why?" More worry hit. What shouldn't have I done?

"Because you're on hunting grounds."

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Note: Thank you everyone who read and reviewed. I'm not too happy with how this chapter came out, so don't be shy to tell me you agree that it's not my best. <strong>

**Espeon: I went back and reread that part and agreed with you, I was shocked I didn't notice that. Jumbling sentences is something I do a lot, I normally catch them though. Thanks for the honesty! **


	19. Maniac

_Chapter Eighteen: Maniac_

_And Everything Came Crashing Down _

I sat in the field behind Veilstone alone. I wished that Noctowl would return. I had been sitting there ever since I left the gym earlier that morning. Now it was nightfall. My trusted Pokémon, most likely, was gone. Rhy told me that Veilstone, Route 214, 213 and Pastoria were major Pokémon hunting spots. Mostly because of all the different Pokémon.

It was my fault Noctowl was hunted… I sent him off without thinking. In the daylight too. I sighed and stood up. _I should get back. _I thought. I started back to the Center. I would be leaving the next morning. Once I left, I would presumably never see Noctowl again. _Unless he's still alive and tries to find me. _Not likely.

With one last look over my shoulder, I left the field.

* * *

><p>The next morning I had eaten breakfast, showered and gathered my things. I stuffed everything in my bag and stopped at the thing Rhy had given me the day before. Apart from my reward, he gave me the HM Fly. I <em>was<em> excited about it, but my Flying Type died or got lost or just plain out left me.

But I would still get my Flyers License. Lea passed a law a while back stating that everyone needs a license to fly. The problem? Most people didn't pass. Another thing Lea controlled. Rhy was one of the few who can fly, the others consist of Lea's workers. _One thing that I will have to change. _I thought.

I slung my bag over my shoulder and left the Center. I would be tested in Pastoria for my Flyers License. I started down Route 214. The pavement soon ended and I was walking on nice dry grass. Trees and greenery surrounded me, I was surprised to Pokémon roamed about.

Then I remembered: Hunting grounds. _Of course there aren't Pokémon around. _I thought.

After a while I came upon some mountainous areas. I checked my map to make sure I was headed in the right direction, I was. It looked on the map that it would be quicker for me to trek on the rocks the go around on the grass, so I took a few big steps and hiked up.

The top was a nice flat path. It reminded me of the paths around Cornet Mountain. Except those paths were normally insanely foggy unless you caught one of the rare clear days. This area, however, was clear of any fog.

I cleared my mind of all the usual worry and just relaxed. It was nice to have a clear mind every once in a while. Normally I would be planning for the next gym around that time, but every time the thought would slip into my mind my confidence would fall. Why? Because my Pokémon weren't… The best. Normally, a trainer would have Pokémon that complement each other. I don't have that. Yet, the more I thought about it, the more I was happy with my Pokémon choices. They're not the normal bunch, no, but they're my Pokémon and they're tougher than most in Sinnoh.

I sighed and refocused on the path ahead. More rocks filled the walkway, I had to maneuver over them. Then, I heard something weird. I turned around. Someone leapt over the rocky area and stopped in front of me.

He was probably in his twenties or thirties. He stood a few inches taller than me wearing large hiking boots and a brown traveling outfit. He had a huge backpack that could hardly fit his back, and clutched an old piece of paper in his hand.

"You!" He yelled. His eyes bugged out of his head. "You! You! You!"

"…Yes?" Talk about being confused, my brain shut off as soon as I saw him.

"Do you see this?!" There was _way too much _enthusiasm in his voice. He shoved the map in my face. I leaned back to try to see it. He had the wrong side facing me, either that or it was a blank piece of paper.

"No I don't." I said. He gasped and looked at the paper.

"Are you _blind_?!" He shoved the paper at me again.

"No sir that is a blank piece of paper." I turned away and started walking, rolling my eyes two-thousand times.

"No! No! No!" He ran to my side and walked with me. He pointed at the paper. "You have to be able to see it! Don't you see it?!"

I almost said 'Yes' just to get away from him, but I decided against it. "No, there's nothing there."

"Yes! Yes there is!" He insisted. _Crazy man. _

I shook my head and kept walking. He was still at my side. "You have to see it! It's _right there_!" He shoved the paper in my face again.

I stopped and looked at it. It was blank. There was nothing there. "What do you see?" I asked.

He gasped again and took a few very deep breathes. "I—I—I—I…!" He crouched down and looked at the ground. "Gah!" He screamed. He pointed to a tiny pebble. "See it?!"

"…Yes, it's a rock."

"Not just _any_ rock! This fell off of a Graveler! That means they're still here!" He jumped up and stuck his face really close to mine, his nose was touching mine.

I took a step back.

"Do you know what this means?!" He whispered. I shook my head. "They're…They're…_Here_! Still here!"

"What do you mean 'still here'?"

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" He swiftly turned around and examined the rock wall. Then he spread out his arms and hugged it. "I love you." He muttered. He stayed like that for a second. I started to inch away. Then I started to sprint.

"No!" He shrieked. I looked over my shoulder, he was running wildly towards me. His arms flailing about and his legs taking huge steps.

I was so focused behind me that I ran into something, or _someone_ rather. I landed on my haunches. I ran into an older man wearing a similar getup to Crazy Man. He was much shorter and more plump then Crazy, but the facial features were similar minus Old Man's white mustache.

Crazy Man reached us and fell to the ground, he was laying on his stomach with his arms spread apart again. I assumed he was hugging the ground now.

"Bryan, what are you doing now?" Old Man asked.

"I—I—I…!" He jumped up, eyes still wide, and pointed to me. "You! You! You!" He shoved the paper in my face again.

"Do you know him?" I asked Old Man. I stood up and brushed the dirt off of me.

"Of course I do, this is Bryan, my nephew. I'm Chip Bonguard." He extended his hand.

"Cynthia." I shook it. His accent was odd, it wasn't Golden, it was just different. "Are you two trainers?" I knew they weren't. Trainers normally don't… Do whatever Bryan, or Crazy Man, did.

"No, no. I'm a traveler of sorts."

"Ruin Maniac!" Bryan shouted.

Chip chuckled. "Yes, most call us Ruin Maniacs. I have traveled long and far to find ruins to examine." He pulled a large magnified glass from his back pocket. He put it in front of his eyeball, the eye appeared huge.

"Look!" Bryan shoved the paper under the glass.

"I see." Chip said. He moved the glass around, as if actually examining it. "Bryan, my friend, you have done it!"

"What?!" I said. "That's a blank piece of paper!" I was very befuddled.

They both looked up from the paper and gave me odd looks. Except Bryan's look was kind of creepy along with odd.

"No! No! No!" Bryan shoved it in my face again.

I snatched the paper. "I've seen it, it's blank!" I studied it. It was yellowed, dirty and old. No writings, no diagrams, nothing.

Bryan gasped and took the paper. He hugged it against his chest. "You! Never take my paper!" He yelled.

"Okay, I'm truly sorry." I said. I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

"Cynthia, is it?" Chip said, I nodded. "As Ruin Maniacs, we've learned to see things in a new light." He made a gesture towards the sun. "We study the ground and rocks to see where to make a cave, according to that paper, right here is the perfect place to make a manmade cave." He smiled at himself like he had just cleared everything up.

"Alright, well then I'll leave you to it." I smiled quite nervously and walked away.

"See?!" Bryan yelled again. I turned around, he was shoving the paper under Chip's magnified glass.

"Yes!"

"See?!"

"Yes!"

"Gah!" He laid on the ground again. He was yelling something I couldn't understand.

"Right-o boy, I agree completely." Crazies.

He jumped up and started flailing his arms again. "_Still here_!" He shouted.

"Well isn't that something?" Chip nodded and grinned. "That makes me happier than a Magikarp on a Wednesday!"

I stopped walking. Part of me wanted to know what they were talking about, the other part wanted me to get out of there. Curiosity got me… Curiosity also killed the Eevee.

I started walking towards them. I took long strides. "Why is that good? What's that mean?" The words spilled out of my mouth quickly.

Chip looked at me. "Why Cynthia, that means that they're still Pokémon 'round these parts! Don't you know that there used to be so many kinds of Pokémon here before they all were hunted? There were Bonsly, Combee, Burmy, Staravia among Staravia and even Staraptor!"

"Turtwig!" Bryan yelled. "Murkrow!"

Chip nodded. "Yes, all before this became hunting territory. I say, you'll be lucky if you ever get half the Pokémon back to these parts."

"All those Pokémon are _food_?" I was disgusted.

"No, no. Most were scared away. Not a lot of Pokémon trust us humans here in Sinnoh. I would get back to my lands, but the ruins and culture is so rich here!" He babbled about rocks for a bit before being interrupted by Bryan.

"Look! Look!" Bryan pointed to the sky. We all looked up, a Staravia hurriedly flew across the blue blanket.

Chip grinned. "I'll be. That's good news for you little girl."

"I guess it is." I said.

* * *

><p>After saying my goodbyes to Crazy Man and Old Man, I continued on. Once I reached the end of Route 214, I came to a bunch of trees. I hesitantly entered them since, according to my map, I was headed the right direction. I walked through and someone approached me, he was older and scary looking. Reminded me of Red back in Solaceon.<p>

"You best be getting out'a these here parts." He mumbled. His voice was husky. "Yer on hunting ground, wouldn't want anythin' to happen to ye now would you?"

I nodded and he pointed to a 'travelers' path that he said was safe. I quickly walked down the path, not wanting to disturb anymore hunters.

Once I got to a large clearing I checked my map again. Valor Lakefront. It was beautiful out there. Nice clear area with lots of tall grass, no Pokémon around however, and lots of beautiful rocky areas. I could smell saltwater in the air. It was wonderful and natural.

I walked through the area and came to a huge wall that towered above me, it was a Golden City wall with the Golden emblem. There was a huge gate with a sign that read 'Do Not Enter Unless Authority Says Otherwise. Unsafe Vicinity For Visitors. Valor Lake.' _Maroon was right, they have it sealed from the public. What are they hiding? _My mind went back to the awful dinner a while ago and the conversation Maroon and I had about the lakes… There was definitely some hiding going on, and it was very mysterious.

I made it to Route 213. It was equally beautiful. The shore was amazing, the water was a lovely indigo color as it splashed on the sand. I climbed down a short rock wall and sprinted to the water. I threw my bag and kicked off my shoes and dove into the chilly sea.

* * *

><p>After a bit of drying on the hot sand I left for Pastoria. The map said I was very close to it. I had just gotten a bit dry when a rainstorm hit. Now I was soaked again. Great.<p>

I soon reached Pastoria. It was currently a mud puddle due to the rain. It took me a while to find the Center, which resulted in me being even more wet. Once I did I went straight to my room and tried to remove all water from my hair and changed clothes. Not a good way to start in a new place, that's for certain.

Things did look up then, however. I learned that the Mart sold a bunch of delicious Pokébread. That was fantastic. So I munched on my late lunch with a happy face. The rain subsided and I went out to look around the town. I gathered that it wasn't as huge as Veilstone, I saw no one but sailors working at the docks, which was rather odd, the gym was _huge,_ so that meant the Leader's ego must have been bigger, and that Pastoria wasn't the beach city like I thought, actually it was swampy. I found myself trekking through mud puddles a lot.

The upside: Absolutely no Golden's or Golden _anything._

Well, until I came upon a large arena-like thing. The huge sign above the door read 'Golden Coliseum, Hunting Games & Recreation.' _Hunting Games? _I thought. There was a newer sign above that, 'Grand Reopening.' I walked up to the glass doors and looked in. A dozen people were standing in the lobby. I walked in. Someone approached me.

"Welcome, welcome!" This guy had a huge smile on and, guess what, Golden appearance. Sparkles covered his pink suit, which _really _complimented his purple hair and blue eyeliner. It was hard not to roll my eyes. "Here you go, today is Half Off Day, because of the reopening!" He handed me five coins. _This cannot be what I think it is. _

"What is this place?" I asked Sparkles.

"Why my dear! This is Golden Coliseum! The Hunting Arena! All you do if buy ten Hunting Coins and you get an hour of Hunt Time, fifteen for three hours, and thirty for a Day Pass! Oh, you have to try it! It's good fun!" He clapped and spun around to find another person to bother.

My stomach tightened and I swore my Pokébread was going to come back up. I threw the coins on the floor and stormed out. _Why?! Why?! _I kept repeating in my head. I _should_ have been used to the fact Lea was evil and disgusting, but really, I wasn't.

_He knows who I am._ Sinnoh, that was true. We almost met. Maroon told him, apparently, everything about me. _What if I did meet him? _See him face-to-face… Maybe he would tell me he knows _everything_. Rebel, vegetarian and every time I lied…

Shivers crawled up and down my spine and through my arms. I shook my head hard in an attempt to rid all of those thoughts. I was _not_ afraid of someone who had so many weak spots. I found the Center and gathered my Pokémon, a good training session was _just _what I needed.

* * *

><p>The next morning was like most. I got some breakfast and washed my clothes in a nearby pond. After, I decided to train some more before challenging the gym. I had no idea who the Leader was, what Pokémon he had, nothing. Basically, I was going into this blind. The thing was that it had been a really long time since someone had made it to this gym, so it was never on television, newspapers or radios. How would I know about it?<p>

Training the day before was about as progressive as… Well, nothing. Bibarel did awesome, as usual. Togetic gained a level or two, I think. Psyduck's training was slow, however. That wasn't progressive, but he was about to evolve. I just knew it.

Roselia wasn't doing well either. Of course Gible was hopeless. And then my presence returned when I was training Spiritomb and she got all freaked out. Very little progress was made.

So I decided to try for a better day. I started with Togetic, he was quicker and wasn't as clumsy. He could even flutter around with his little wings. That lifted my spirits. Then I trained with Spiritomb, my buddy wasn't around so that went well. We were getting used to each other quickly.

Psyduck trained well, too. He was giving it his all and, as I predicted, he evolved. I wrapped it up with trying to train Gible… Nothing.

"Why don't you want to evolve?!" I asked her.

She hissed. "Gible, come on, you'll be tougher and bigger. And you won't go through any pain." I had seen most of my Pokémon evolve, it looked easy and pain free. "…Please?" I tried. She growled. I sighed and anger grew. "Why don't you just run away? Run out into the woods right now, that's what you wanted to do when I first got you!"

She growled and showed her teeth. "Oh, you don't scare me. Leave, go! Then you'll never, ever, ever have to see me again! Is that what you want?!" She jumped up and roared, then light surrounded her. Orbs of yellow and flashes of blue enclosed her. A moment later, a tall, blue and red dragon stood in front of me. Her eyes were serious and her stance was full of confidence.

I stood there in amazement. Now, she was Gabite.

A growl rumbled in her throat. This growl was a dragons growl, not the little baby growl that she had been throwing around. "Now, do you want to train?" I asked through a smile.

Her eyes tightened and she turned around, waiting a command.

* * *

><p>After a good training session with Gabite, learning her new strengths, I went back into town for lunch. On my way to the Mart, I saw something out of the corner of my eye. A guard was screaming at a sailor. I stopped and listened.<p>

"You think you can just _leave_ your post?! You're the manager here!" The guard yelled.

"My wife's ill and I went to check on her, my men are trustworthy." The sailor said.

"Your men are trustworthy?! Tell that to the missing crates!"

"I have no idea how those got lost."

"You don't?! You're a liar!"

"Hey man, I'm just trying to do my job and take care of my family!" The sailor countered.

The guard swung his arm and punched the sailor, he fell to the ground. The guard continued to punch and kick, I looked away and scurried to the Mart.

_That's not right at all. _I thought. _I need to put a stop to it, or at least threaten the guards. I need Ellena and the rebels. _My first thought was to send a letter, but how? There wasn't a post office in that city, and Noctowl wasn't around. I could've sent Togetic, but I was not going to put him in danger like that. Hunting grounds and the fact he could hardly fly? Not a chance.

So that meant I would have to find another way to send a letter. I was _not_ standing by, there was Hunting Games _and_ guards who treat people horribly? Something was going to be done, even if it meant I was going to do it myself.


	20. Nightmare

_Chapter Nineteen: Nightmare _

_And Everything Came Crashing Down _

The next morning came too quickly. I kept waking up all throughout the night with nightmares. Horrible, horrible nightmares. Most I couldn't remember, I would just wake up crying and sweating. Some I could remember vividly. They all involved death. Mostly death of my Pokémon or _my_ death.

It was not a fun night.

I woke up groggy and moved very slow. Thumper, who was up most of the night as well, didn't even crawl out of bed. I let him sleep.

The day before was a mushy memory. After training and lunch I walked around some more. I learned Pastoria wasn't big at all, it was just shaped oddly. Houses were scattered around, the most seen together was the row of houses near the docks. Most things were hidden by trees. The gym, for example, was completely surrounded by huge trees. There was a short path you had to take to get there.

I learned that the town wasn't at all occupied by Golden's. There wasn't one in sight. I even poked in the coliseum, no Golden's were there either. They must have traveled in for the 'reopening', the thing that got me was, how did they come in? If they traveled by foot, well, would they travel by foot? I wouldn't think that they had Flying Types and could fly, but that was a possibility. If that was so, wouldn't I had seen them leaving in the Golden Cities? Or had seen them leaving Pastoria? _Maybe. But it all seems so farfetched, and I'm looking into it way too much. _Something bugged me though. It was a bit off.

Now, I would have to make a decision: Should I do some rebellious act to stop the guards? Honestly, that was one thing that haunted my nightmares. I was setting up a bomb and the guards caught me. Because let's face it, I didn't have the knowledge to do something like that. I needed my team.

Again we face the issue… How will I tell my team to get here? How will I get them here? What exactly do I want them to do? Is this an issue that needs the rebels? Etcetera.

The whole thing made me roll my eyes. Maybe being a part of the rebels was a mistake, but I was already hooked into the group.

I shook my head nice and hard. I had done that a lot recently. Basically it was me trying to free all stressful thoughts from my mind and get my head in the game. Today was gym day. I needed to be ready and focused.

Of course nothing ever turns out like I plan.

I decided to go out and train a bit before the battle. It never hurts to be one-hundred-percent. I went out to the usual area where I train, Route 212. But it started to rain. No training for me then. Great.

I sighed and ran back to the Center. Not only that, but the presence decided to pop in for a visit. I was still ignoring it. It was possible that was just childish and I should have handled it better. Luckily it had stopped getting into my head. I could just feel it around. It stopped talking to me and manipulating me. And feeding me peace… That's the thing I missed. I kept telling myself it was a good thing. Did I believe it was? No.

I went and sat in the lobby. The television was on. Jubilife News, as usual, was on. They were talking about Lea. (Again, as usual.)

"Lea says this is temporary, he suspects the attacks will take up again any day and the rate will be sky-high." The girl said, her voice matter-of-fact.

"So," continued the other news anchor, "traveling is discouraged and we should all be on guard. In other news…" He continued on but I stopped listening.

_Lea was predicting more attacks? _A smile curled on my lips. Was he that afraid of us? Did it work, we scared him? Then a thought hit. _What if he's going to return the favor and attempt to attack us? What if he's predicting his own attacks? _My stomach knotted. _…What if he attacks Celestic?_

* * *

><p>After watching the news I went to my room and had a lot of thinking time. I wanted to be back home but at the same time I wanted to be right where I was. <em>Celestic wouldn't be attacked. It wouldn't be attacked. It wouldn't be attacked. <em>I repeated over and over again.

A few hours went by. The rain stopped and I had a very quick training session. Nothing new or exciting.

Then, it was to the gym. I was going in completely blind. I had no idea who the trainer was or what he or she had. From the area I assumed Water Types. That wouldn't be good. I didn't have anything that would do well against Water Types.

I walked through the path that lead to the gym. The gym was in sight shortly. It was average-sized, yet oddly colored. It had purple beams, green walls and a white roof. I walked up to the door, sighed, and walked in.

The room was dimly lit, fire burned in the scones on the walls, giving the room a dungeon-like feel. The field was gray with green lines running through it. I could tell it was dirty and dusty, that proved that it had been a while since it was used.

A man walked onto the field. It was so dark I didn't know if he had been there the whole time or not. He chuckled. "Cynthia, Cynthia. How nice it is to see you." He was grinning, his teeth looked like they were glowing in the lowlight.

"Hello, are you the leader?"

"Yes. Some call me Blake." He said.

"Blake?" I echoed.

"Yes, Blake. Others call me… Well, I guess I shouldn't say on TV." _TV? _I looked passed him. I saw a red dot. Then my eyes adjusted, I saw the shadow of a cameraman. Great. At least Constance and Maxina weren't there. Well not so much Constance, just Maxina.

Blake moved closer. I could see more of him now. He was much older and wore a suit-like thing, I wasn't sure of the color, his hair was green, and not a natural Oliver green, and he was still grinning. He chuckled again. "My, my, you sure are prettier in person aren't you?" I didn't say anything. "Oh, a shy one, are you? Let's just see how shy you are once we get into battle. You're a… Feisty one." The way he paused made me wonder if he meant what he said, but that seemed like his point; to be mysterious.

"I guess I can be." I said.

He shot his head back and laughed. It came off wicked. "And I thought my jokes were bad." His grin grew. "You're feisty as they come, Cynthia." The way he said my name gave me cold chills. "But why am I stalling? Let the fight begin!" With another chuckle he walked across the room. I took my place and waited for him to call out his first Pokémon.

"Croagunk." The Pokémon came out. It stood probably three feet tall on two skinny legs, it was mostly a blue color with orange paws, and it had some frog-like features. It didn't necessarily look tough, but I wasn't taking chances by judging books by covers.

"Golduck, fight well!" I released Golduck. He spun around and stared at me blankly. He still did that even when he evolved. Creepy little duck.

"Use Mud Bomb." Blake commanded. Croagunk spit up a bunch of mud and it landed right on Golduck. He was squirming. "Faint Attack." Croagunk sprinted over to my Pokémon and punched him right in the chest. He clashed to the ground.

I took a deep breath. _Double hit… Don't worry. _"Water Pulse." Golduck sent water out to the rival. They slapped Croagunk in the face.

"Sucker Punch." The opponent almost flew over to Golduck and punched him. Golduck stood his ground but cringed awfully.

"Confusion." I shouted. Golduck met the eyes of the foe, the Pokémon fell to the ground and twitched. "Nice." I praised. "Now use Scratch." Golduck lifted his hand and his silvery claws sparkled in the firelight. He scraped his claws across Croagunk's side.

Blake didn't even try to call an attack. I could see that he was still grinning.

"Water Gun." He didn't even return his Pokémon. Golduck spewed water. Croagunk leapt up, ready to fight again. "Scratch."

"Mud Bomb." Blake yelled. Croagunk was much faster. The mud covered Golduck and he fell to the ground. He screeched, his eyes rolled back in his head. He was out.

I returned him and released Bibarel. "Don't let me down Bibarel." I sounded weak. No confidence sprinkled my voice. I suddenly was aware that cameras lingered around me.

"Sucker Punch." Croagunk obeyed and performed the move perfectly. Unfortunately for me.

Bibarel seemed close to unaffected, however. "Hyper Fang." I shouted. He readied himself for the attack and took off toward the foe, who was already back at the other end of the field. Bibarel leapt up and landed on the opponent, he hissed and jabbed his teeth into Croagunk. It cried out and whimpered, then fainted. No hope of recovery.

A smile tugged at the corners of my lips. That looked good for the cameras.

"Drapion." Blake released a huge Pokémon. It was a purple color and stood taller than me. It had two tail-like things coming out of its head and a long tail that wrapped around its feet.

"Use—" I didn't have a chance.

"Thunder Fang." Drapion scuttled across the field, mouth agape and revealing bouncing electricity, and sunk its teeth into my Pokémon.

That did not look good for the cameras.

Bibarel screeched and attempted to fight back. Once the foe removed its face from him I saw the burn and bite marks left. Bibarel took a good hit. "Hyper Fang." I commanded. He quickly bit the rival hard. It made a bug-like screech noise. I took that as a good sign. _If he can double hit, so can I. _"Rollout." Bibarel started to use the move.

"Fight back with Poison Sting." Blake shouted. Drapion shot poison sticks out of its mouth. Some missed my Pokémon but others pierced his skin. Bibarel used Rollout about three times before sprinting over to me.

"Thunder Fang." _Great…_ The foe bit Bibarel again. Bibarel cringed and slumped to the ground. Whether he had officially fainted or not, I pulled him out. He was done nonetheless.

I thought for a moment. Who would do the best? Spiritomb or Gabite. I decided to try out Gabite, maybe she would listen.

"Gabite, fight!" My Dragon Type came out and growled.

"Ice Fang." Drapion let out a roar and ran across the field. It had its mouth wide open, shiny ice coated all the fangs. He approached Gabite and pounced on her. They both fell to the ground, Drapion sunk its teeth into Gabite.

My Pokémon growled and hissed. She tried to kick and punch the opponent away, but the ice was too much. Drapion jumped backwards and Gabite leapt up. There was a huge red sore on Gabite's shoulder.

"Alright, use Dragon Rage." I commanded. Gabite spewed sand from her mouth. It moved over to the foe and stared spinning around him, creating a twister-like sandstorm. _So my Pokémon isn't going to listen again?! I thought we got over that! _I rolled my eyes.

"Ice Fang." Drapion charged through the raging sandstorm and rammed into Gabite. Again, she fell to the ground. Drapion chomped down on her leg, it iced over. She screamed and squirmed about. Then her eyes closed ever so slowly. She let out a roar. And it was a _roar_. It bounced off the ceiling and around the room. Gabite's eyes closed and I returned her.

Okay, so now I basically only had Spiritomb left. Hopefully the presence wouldn't join the party and scare her. Thinking that Roselia was useless, which she really was, that left Spiritomb. I was hesitant in using her because she had never battled with me before. There's a first time for everything.

The sandstorm subsided.

"Go Spiritomb." The purple Ghost Type came out. She had her famous wicked grin on. She was ready to fight. I wanted to get a move in fast. "Shadow Sneak." Spiritomb melted into a shadow puddle and zoomed over to the foe. She shot up and into her normal self and slammed into Drapion. I smiled.

The foe fell backwards but regained balance quickly. "Fire Fang!" Blake yelled. And yes, he was still grinning. Drapion, with its mouth ablaze, hurriedly bit Spiritomb. Its whole head went into my Pokémon's ghostly body, but Spiritomb still shrieked in pain.

"Sucker Punch." I commanded. Spiritomb punched the rival with a black, shadowy fist.

"Thunder Fang." Yellow electricity sparked in its mouth. It bit Spiritomb. She shrieked and ran across the field away from the opponent.

"Ominous Wind!" I shouted. Spiritomb's grin reappeared. Purple mist started to ooze out of her and zip over to Drapion. It started to circle the rival. The fog-like wind hit Drapion, it winced and slumped to the ground.

For a moment I thought it had fainted, but it fought back up to its feet.

"Fire Fang!" Blake commanded. His Pokémon obeyed, the attack was very fast and perfect. Spiritomb's ghost body melted to the ground. The green orbs that circled around her body spun in weird directions. That meant she was done, she was out of the game.

I returned her. Blake still had another Pokémon. It was practically useless to put Togetic out there, he would faint instantly and I didn't want to put him through that just yet.

I had lost the battle.

In the lowlight I could see Blake walk across the field, a grin still painted on his face. I saw the camera man following on his heels. I decided to put on my best fake face, I didn't want most of Sinnoh to see me mad over the loss.

He chuckled. It was an odd chuckle, one that shot down your spine. "You, Cynthia, are one feisty opponent."

I smiled slightly. Honestly that was all I could manage. Anger grew inside me, he was really going to rub this in my face, wasn't he? "So are you." I said. I was very calm.

He chuckled again. "Your first loss, your blood is boiling under your skin, isn't it?"

_Yes._ I gave him a weird look. "No, everyone has to lose sometime. But you will be seeing me again, and I will be victorious. I will gain the strength needed for this task and win." My tone was nothing but confidence. I even topped it off with a smile. The camera turned off.

"And that's that." The cameraman said. "We'll be waiting for the second challenge."

My smile slumped back to its normal place. Not like I lied when I gave that speech, but in my head it wasn't as nice.

Blake exploded in laughter. "You know how to work the television as well, don't you?"

I didn't respond.

His grin widened, if that was possible. "You do know what happens now don't you?" I thought for a moment, normally now would be the time where I received my winnings… Except I didn't win. "Cynthia, you have to pay _me_, you didn't think that you're so special you get the prize money? Seven-hundred please."

I reached into my pants pocket, secretly rolling my eyes, and pulled out my money. I had around one-thousand dollars. I was very frugal with my money, I only bought what I absolutely needed. Food mostly. I gave him seven-hundred.

He took the money and examined it with excited eyes. "Lovely." He put it in his pocket. "So, do you want to accompany me to dinner tomorrow?"

I almost choked on my own breath. "Excuse me?" That was the only thing I could mutter.

"It's a ball held by the Golden's. It's at the coliseum, you must be going. You have to go. You are one of the most popular people in Sinnoh, especially to the Golden's." Apparently he wasn't Golden since he called them that.

My face went pale. _Another _dinner? I could not do it. I would not do it. "I…Uh…"

He exploded in laughter again. "Oh you should see your face! It's hilarious! Simply hysterical!"

More anger grew. "That was a lie?!" I yelled. "Why would you do that?!"

"Because it was funny." He stopped laughing. "The Golden's wouldn't come now, there's a huge rainstorm coming in. They're never anywhere in the rain. Why do you thing Veilstone isn't Golden?"

"I don't know, I just assumed they didn't like the walk." I shrugged.

"That would be a good point if they didn't have their own way of transportation."

I cocked my head. "And what is it?"

"You really know nothing, do you know that?" He chuckled. "And, what, you're set off on this journey to be the best of them all? And you're what, _twelve_?"

I squinted my eyes. "As it happens, I am fourteen, and I'm out on this journey to make my deceased Grandfather proud." That was the truth… Just not all of it.

"Right." He said through his grin. "And tunnels."

"Tunnels?" I echoed. "Their transportation is tunnels?" I thought of the white buildings separating the Golden Cities from the real world.

"Underground tunnels to be exact." Blake resituated his green hair.

"There are underground tunnels? How come I didn't know about this?"

"Because you hardly pay attention. That's your flaw." He waggled a finger at me. "You have the spunk needed for this role, you even have the fire that pushes you along, and you're even kind of brainy, but you don't pay enough attention."

"What do you mean?" He was practically calling me naïve, which was probably the truth.

He shrugged and laughed. "There are small details in life that, in time, become big."

"Right." I murmured. "About these tunnels, why do they exist?"

"Because the Golden City community doesn't want to walk through rain and anything that's not concrete and stone walkways. You should know that, you did have to dine with them. The best group of them too." He laughed hard. Another wicked laugh.

"Why can't I use them then? Why can't we all use them?" Annoyance and anger clearly formed in my voice.

His nose scrunched as his smile widened. "Feisty, feisty. I love it. Well, you know the answer don't you? Or did you not pay attention?" Sarcasm laced his tone.

I shot him an angered look. _Yes, the answer is Lea is an unfair person. _I kept my mouth shut.

"No comment, huh? I'll make sure to let Lea know." He raised his eyebrows. This person knew me well. It was scary. "Yes, I said it. _Lea._" His voice shrunk down to somewhat similar to a growl.

"Yes, and?"

"You're not intimidated? You should be. He wants to meet you soon."

I sighed out of annoyance. "I think I should go." I turned to leave. His laugh rang out.

"You're scared stiff! It's hilarious. I'll tell him that too." More laughing.

When I reached the door all the lights went out. I looked over my shoulder, everything was darkness. I pushed the door open, my eyes had to adjust to the light.

The sun had started setting. I jogged back to the Center.

Once I reached my room, I slumped unto the bed. "My first loss! On television!" I whispered into the empty room. _I was so prepared! _I thought. _My Pokémon were supposed to be perfect. _I thought over everything. He really had me figured out, he knew how to play me. Now I needed to learn how to play him.

* * *

><p>Darkness sheltered me. I felt my eyes completely dilate. The lights came on. I was looking at a wall of mirrors. I wore a huge blue ball gown. My hair was done-up on the top of my head. <em>Where's Constance? <em>I recognized her work. I noticed huge doors behind me.

I turned towards them. I reached out and opened the grand golden door. I poked my head out, it was the great dining room in the Dining Hall in Hearthrome. I walked out, no one sat at the table. I turned my head, the door to the ballroom was open. I walked through it.

Lots of people spun around the room. They all wore colorful dresses, it was so vivid and gorgeous. I walked out unto the dance floor. _Alright, time to put on the charm. _I went right to the middle of the room. I looked up, the mural on the ceiling was as amazing as ever.

I looked around. Constance stood nearby, she shoot me a 'Doing good' smile. I returned one. Someone tapped my shoulder.

I spun around gracefully, my gown ballooning out as I did.

My breath caught in my throat. I was looking right into the snake eyes of Lea.

"My, you look pretty tonight." His voice was smooth and professional. "Want to dance?" I didn't respond, but he had me in the dance position. We started dancing around. "You really are much prettier in person."

"Thank you." I muttered. Sweat started to pop out on my forehead. He had his hair nicely combed back and he wore a _very _expensive-looking suit.

He smiled a rather charming smile. "Why are you nervous?" He asked with a chuckle. This chuckle wasn't Blake's, it sounded genuine.

"I—I, uh." I looked around for Constance. I couldn't find her.

He leaned it close to my ear. "Is it because I know?" His voice changed from smooth and charming to gravelly and rough. "Huh?! Is it?!"

I pushed myself away from him and took a few steps back. I quickly realized that everyone in the room disappeared, we were alone.

"What are you talking about?" I muttered.

He laughed. "Oh, just the fact that you're a rebel." His voice was back to normal. "And you're a vegetarian who loves her grandmother _oh so much_." Her name stung. "Right?!" The huskiness returned.

"You don't know anything!" I yelled.

"I know _everything_! Daughter of Cassie Janine Everheart and Chance Lloyd Everheart!" His eyes turned blood red. Black wings appeared on his back. He flew up into the air and right to my face. "Granddaughter of Winnie Reid Coins and Carolina Marie Coins!"

I started running away. I ran into the dining room and slammed the door. He came right through.

"You're not as tough as you like people to think." He said and grinned. He lowered himself to the ground, his wings disappeared. His eyes were still red.

Just then, Noctowl flew into the room from the mirror room and tackled Lea. He fell to the ground and roared like a Pokémon. He flew up into the air, his wings came back, and a black sword appeared in his hand. He pushed it right through my Bird Type's chest. He fell to the floor, blood spilled out on the marble. I gasped and screamed.

Lea laughed. "He'll have nice meat."

"You're a monster!" I shrieked. Tears streamed down my face.

"Am I? Really? Or are you the monster?" His evil voice reappeared. He flew over to me and grabbed my shoulder. He lifted me into the air. "You don't deserve to have life! You don't deserve to live!" He threw my into the mirror room. He flew in after me.

"You can rot in the afterworld with your family." He shoved the sword into my stomach. I gasped hard. Pain, insane pain like no other surged through me. I tried to breath, but air was harder to find.

I looked over at my reflection. Blood covered my blue dress. I pulled the sword from my abdomen. More pain. I screamed out, Lea laughed then walked out of the room.

Then, I took my last breath.


	21. Knowing

_Chapter Twenty: Knowing_

_Running From Myself_

As it was predicted, the next day brought a huge rainstorm. The rain was pounding down so hard I couldn't see three feet away.

I sat in my room in the Center with Thumper and Roselia. Already today I went out for a ten-minute training session in-between the rainspouts. Now I was waiting for another break.

The night before I hardly slept. I ended up sleeping in past noontime, which made me lose training time, and be groggy for the next few hours. Dinner time was approaching and I still hadn't trained. I needed to train, I thought up somewhat of a strategy. I would need to increase the speed of my Pokémon and my commands to double-hit like Blake. I would try to play his game. That could be difficult, but I had to try something new.

The rain let up a bit, so I jumped at the chance to train. I ran out to the swampy field. Luckily I ran into a wild Pokémon, a Whooper, and had a quick battle with Bibarel. I would train him and he would be my 'main' in this battle. I would throw him out for Croagunk, and then I would throw out Spiritomb for Drapion and make a quick decision for the final Pokémon. Probably Gabite and then have Golduck for my backup. _It might work. _I had thought. And there was a good possibility that it would, too.

Bibarel was tough, he beat the wild Pokémon quickly. I tried to make command after command; Bibarel had no problems keeping up. I put Golduck against Bibarel. I was going to command Golduck and let Bibarel freelance.

"Golduck, Scratch!" My Pokémon sprinted to Bibarel and jumped up. He sliced his claws over Bibarel's back and landed behind him on his feet. "Water Gun." Golduck spun around and spit water at the other Water Type's back. He fell to the ground but jumped back up. He attempted Rollout.

"Dodge!" Golduck jumped into the air and dodged the attack, but once he landed Bibarel slammed into him _four more _times. "Confusion." I yelled. Golduck's eyes turned bright pink, but Bibarel didn't look, instead he closed his eyes and used a different move. He slammed into Golduck and sent him flying and crashing into a tree. I recognized the move as Take Down, Gabite knew that move.

"Nice Bibarel!" I grinned. Golduck jumped up and growled. He sprinted towards the foe and looked at me as he ran. "Scratch." Golduck continued the run and ended it with a flying lunge and tackled Bibarel. Then he used Scratch. Bibarel hissed and pushed him off.

He jumped up and sunk his teeth into Golduck's feathers. Golduck growled and fought, but wasn't successful. It started to downpour again. That unaffected Golduck and Bibarel, they were still ready to fight. I wasn't calling it quits if they weren't.

"Water Pulse." I commanded. Golduck used the move perfectly, the pulses picked up rain and hit harder. Bibarel hit the ground. "Scratch again!" Golduck scratched hard. Bibarel had a blood line running down his stomach. But that didn't stop him.

He leapt up and used Hyper Fang. Golduck shrieked and fell to the ground. He rolled over on his stomach and pushed himself up with his arms. "Water Pulse!" Still in the pushup position, he used the move. It slapped against Bibarel's hard body, he fell to the ground and hit his head.

Both Pokémon, soaked and covered in mud, stood up slowly.

I had to snap back into the game, I was the one trying to command Golduck, not just watching. "Scratch!" Golduck and Bibarel collided with each other. At the same time Bibarel used Hyper Fang and Golduck dug his claws into his back.

They both were down for the count. I grinned, they were ready to battle.

* * *

><p>The day went on slowly. I went back to the Center soaking wet and waited for another training break. I ate some Pokébread for dinner and shared with Bibarel, Roselia, Thumper and Golduck. They all were out of their Pokéball's in my room.<p>

After a while I went down to the lobby to see what was on the television. My battle was being shown again. That was the first time I had ever seen myself on television, it was weird. I sat and watched the whole thing, which also helped me figure out more strategies to beat Blake. The next day when I would challenge him, I would be confident.

One thing I noticed was how no confidence was in my voice _at all_ and I looked like a weak beginner. I may have been a beginner, but I was not weak… At least the next time I would battle him.

After the battle Jubilife news came on. 'Breaking News' appeared on the screen. _Oh no! Did the Golden Cities run out of hair dye?! _I smiled.

"As some of you are aware, there has been another attack." My heart leapt out of my chest. I leaned forward, fear shot through me.

"Celestic?" I whispered. _Oh Sinnoh, please no! It can't be them back home! It just can't! _

"Canalave City was bombed." My heart slowed down and I laid back on the sofa. I sighed in relief. At least it wasn't home. "The research facility was bombed by a high-tech explosive device. Everyone in the building died and the building is nothing."

The screen changed to a big empty spot with trees still aflame around. Some Water Type's were dousing the fires. Someone walked on the screen. "All the amazing discoveries about this land is now gone. The only thing left is what's in Canalave Library. This is a problem, whoever is doing this needs to stop! People are dying!"

_I agree and we're trying. _I thought a moment, the rebels wouldn't do that, right? I mean, what legend would be held at a research facility? Then it hit me. _Lea predicted that there would be more attacks, I was right, he was predicting his own attacks. That means that there will be more._

* * *

><p>I woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. Thankfully I had a dreamless sleep. I think that was brought on because of my pure exhaustion. I took a shower and got some breakfast. It was some pastry that wasn't very good, but it was quite filling.<p>

It wasn't raining, although the streets were muddy because it rained all night. I went out to train with my team.

Training was successful and unsuccessful. Bibarel and Golduck had no issues keeping up with my quick commands, but the others… Well, let's just say Gabite wasn't with the program. She wouldn't listen when I was commanding her, and then when I was commanding her opponent, Bibarel, she would take tons of hit because she refused to dodge and double-hit.

Roselia had always been fast, so that wasn't an issue, but she tired easily. After two double-hits she would be so tired she would not hit at all for a little while. And in-battle that wouldn't be good. I trained with Togetic, he was getting better and better. It wouldn't be long until he joined the battling team. Spiritomb wasn't getting faster, she couldn't adjust. It just made me roll my eyes.

I blew a few strands of my blonde hair away from my face as I stood with my hand on my hips, staring at my Pokémon. They were all out and all looking at me. "Listen up, you are all improving, you have so much potential to be amazing. But some things have to change. Gabite, you actually have to listen to me." She wasn't going to listen to that, I could tell just by the way she growled. "Spiritomb, you have to get faster. We need you."

Spiritomb grinned. "Roselia, you're doing good, but I most likely won't be using you this battle. Bibarel, you're going to be of much importance, keep it up. Golduck, you're important as well, try to dodge better." I grinned at my Pokémon. "Now let's get to training."

I trained until lunchtime. I went and picked up another loaf of bread. I quickly ate it and then set off for the gym. And this time, I was confident.

* * *

><p>I reached the gym. It was lightly raining and some fog gathered at the tops of the tree. A Bird Type cawed and flew off when I walked towards the building. Blake was waiting inside, he was waiting with his grin painted perfectly on his face, and I knew it.<p>

I walked through the door. The fires were flickering.

"Welcome, welcome! I see that you've come for yet _another _failed battle?" Blake walked out from the shadows, his favorite entrance. And of course he was grinning. The overly wide, teeth glowing, wicked grin.

"No, I've come to beat you." I saw the camera to my side. I smirked.

His laugh rang out. "Right, let's begin."

I readied myself for the battle. _Alright, alright. He'll call out Croagunk, I'll call out Bibarel. _

"Drapion, go!" Blake released the large purple Pokémon.

_He switched them! Don't panic, just stick to the plan. _"Spiritomb, fight well!" I released my Pokémon. She cackled wickedly and grinned. It matched Blake's.

"Fire Fang." Of course he would get in the first hit. Drapion took giant leaps and met my Pokémon, it bit the Ghost Type. Spiritomb screeched them escaped.

"Ominous Wind!" Spiritomb cackled and her purple mist shot out to the foe, it circled around him, much like a Pokémon hunting prey, and then constricted around Drapion. He cried out. "Shadow Sneak." I commanded. Spiritomb melted into a puddle and went to Drapion. She quickly morphed into normal form and tackled the opponent.

Drapion, still bound in ghostly fog, hit the ground. In one motion he broke the bind and sent Spiritomb into the air. She caught herself mid-fall and levitated back to my side of the field.

"Thunder Fang!" Blake called. Drapion obeyed and in one jump was across the arena. He bit my Pokémon, she yelped and squirmed in an odd Ghost Type way.

"Sucker Punch." A black fist appeared and knocked Drapion in the head. He clashed to the ground, but quickly stood up.

"Ice Fang." Blake's tone was normal. He wasn't losing confidence, neither was I. His Pokémon used the move perfectly. Spirtomb attempted at dodging the hit, but her spirit body was caught in the foes teeth.

"Ominous Wind." My Pokémon sent out more mist to bind-up Drapion. The mist tied around him, and then he broke through them and sprinted towards us.

"Thunder Fang." Drapion opened his mouth and chomped on Spiritomb. She screeched and angry screech and fought out of the mouth.

"Faint Attack." Spiritomb's whole expression changed. She went from screeching to showing no emotion. She crept up real close to the rival, Drapion inched back ever so slowly, and then Spiritomb threw a punch. It knocked Drapion across the field. Not enough to make him faint, but enough to make him mad.

"Poison Sting." Drapion shot pins covered in poison out of his mouth. They shot right through Spirtomb and headed right for me. I instinctively fell to the ground. They shot right over me and disappeared in the darkness.

I knew Spiritomb was hit, however, because she winced. Not a bad wince, more of a 'That hurt, but I'll be fine' wince.

"Sucker Punch."

"Thunder Fang."

Both Pokémon ran towards each other, they met in the middle of the field. Spiritomb's shadow fist appeared, but Drapion was faster. Spiritomb cried out and melted into a puddle. Drapion stepped back. I waited a second, would she get up?

Spiritomb quickly morphed into her normal circle-self. "Sucker Punch!" She threw a punch at Drapion, he clashed to the ground, his eyes rolled back in his head. He was out.

Blake returned him and I returned Spiritomb. He grabbed another Pokéball. He paused and gave me a look. When he realized I was not going to release my Pokémon first, he grinned. "Croagunk." The frog-like Pokémon came out.

"Bibarel, defeat this Pokémon!"

"Sucker Punch." In a few great leaps Croagunk was at my Pokémon. He threw a nice punch, knocking Bibarel straight to the ground. A hiss escaped from Bibarel's mouth. He stood up quickly.

"Take Down." Bibarel lunged forward and tackled the foe. Croagunk let out a croak and squirmed under Bibarel. "Hyper Fang." Bibarel jabbed his teeth into the rival's chest. He jumped backwards, off of the Poison Type, and waited for a hit.

Croagunk leapt up and landed right in front of Bibarel. "Poison Jab." Croagunk quickly started jabbing my Pokémon. They were so quick and fluid that even Bibarel didn't see them coming. "Mud Bomb." Croagunk spit up a lot of mud. It covered Bibarel.

"Shake it off!" Bibarel shook hard, some of the mud flew off but he was still covered. "Water Gun." Bibarel didn't miss a beat. He spit water at the rival. Croagunk was knocked to the floor. "Rollout." Bibarel, with great speeds, rolled to the rival and rolled over him twice. "Nice!" I praised. Croagunk jumped up.

"Sucker Punch." Croagunk punched Bibarel's chest. He sent him flying up into the air, Bibarel crashed down _hard_. "Poison Jab." Croagunk started jabbing all over my Pokémon body. It left purple bruise-like marks. That couldn't have been good.

Bibarel moaned and jumped backwards, he escaped Croagunk but in return slumped to the floor. He threw up purple liquid that pooled underneath him. "Oh no, Bibarel!" He was poisoned. I returned him. _Great! My strategy worked so well! _

Now for my backup. "Golduck, hang in there a little while!" Golduck came out. He readied himself and got into the battle stance. Knees bent, shoulders back and hands extended in front of him.

"Mud Bomb!" Blake commanded. Croagunk covered Golduck in mud, he quacked and started brushing the mud off. "Faint Attack." The foe lunged towards Golduck and punched him in the stomach. The wind was knocked out of my Pokémon as he fell back on his haunches.

"Scratch." I shouted. Golduck growled and jumped up. He grabbed Croagunk and sent him to the ground, then left a nice red line down Croagunk's arm. "Water Pulse." Croagunk croaked when water slapped across his face like a whip. Golduck stopped holding the rival down and took a few leaps back.

"Sucker Punch." Croagunk quickly got to Golduck, it started to swing its arm but Golduck ducked out of the way.

"Scratch!" I hardly yelped the word. My pulse was racing, this was getting exciting. Golduck scraped his claw on Croagunk.

"Mud Bomb." Golduck was pounded with mud, he collapsed to the ground. "Poison Jab." Croagunk started punching Golduck's body, he hissed and growled.

"Water Pulse!" I commanded. Golduck sent off pulsations of water. Croagunk was sent across the field. It was a critical hit. Golduck managed to get on his feet and rid most of the brown mud. "Confusion." Golduck ran to Croagunk and forced it to look into his eyes. Croagunk began rolling around and making weird sounds. I looked at Blake, his grin was still on his face. He met my eyes and winked.

"Scratch." With one last scratch down Croagunk's abdomen, it fainted. Blake returned his Pokémon I returned mine. _Alright, now for his last Pokémon. Here we go. _

Blake's nose scrunched up when his grin widened, it was like he knew the anticipation I was feeling inside. "Skuntank." He finally said. He released the weirdest looking Pokémon. It wasn't very tall, but it was very wide. It stood on four paws with large claws and had a tail that rested over the length of its body and ended at its head. Odd looking thing.

_Well, Gabite let's see if you please me. _"Gabite, finish the battle!" Gabite came out. She growled and focused. Whether that was a good or bad sign, who knew?

"Scratch." Blake yelled. Skuntank, with great speeds, met Gabite. He rose up on his back legs and scratched Gabite. My Pokémon pushed the purple thing away from her and she jumped up and practically glided over the foe.

"Dragon Rage." Gabite swiftly turned around and spewed purple and blue stuff at Skuntank. The rival stood his ground. Could my Pokémon actually be listening to me?

"Flamethrower." Skuntank countered with fire emitting from his mouth. Gabite raised up one of her arms to try to block the fire.

"Slash!" I yelled. Gabite started to use Slash against the fire, the air fought back like a shield. I smiled to myself. Skuntank gave up. "Slash again." Gabite didn't listen this time. She used Take Down. She tackled the opponent, they both crashed to the ground.

"Flamethrower!" Skuntank used Flamethrower, Gabite quickly jumped up and backwards.

I started to say 'Dragon Rage' but my Pokémon's right hand started to glow a blue-purple color. She approached the foe and scratched him on the side, leaving a bloody claw mark. She used Dragon Claw.

"Nigh Slash." Blake shouted. Skuntank quickly swiped a claw on Gabite's leg. She fell to the ground and roared in pain.

"Dragon Rage!" I yelled, desperation filled my voice. She _needed_ to listen to me.

Of course she didn't.

"Flamethrower." Skuntank used Flamethrower perfectly on Gabite. There was absolutely no defense used, Gabite took a big hit.

She stood up and hissed, ready to fight. "Slash." I called. Gabite conformed and slashed _hard_ on Skuntank's chest. He slumped to the floor. I grinned. But that grin turned upside down when he stood back up.

"Night Slash." The rival quickly swiped both claws over Gabite's abdomen. Gabite roared and returned a Slash.

"Take Down." Gabite slammed into the opponent, happy to listen that time. They fell to the ground. Gabite was the first one up, but Skuntank stayed down.

He was unable to battle.

I grinned and a cheer escaped my lips. Sweet victory filled inside of me, like a wonderful tasting berry. And it did taste sweet. I strutted across the field and met Blake in the middle. His grin wasn't as wide as it normally was, but he was still grinned. I smiled wide but didn't show any teeth.

Gabite walked beside me and stood there, glaring at Blake. We were a team, a team that was victorious and tough. "I won." I said. My voice rang clear and confident as it bounced around the room.

"I see you did." He laughed. "Well, you get your money back." He reached into his suit pocket and handed me my money. I took it and admired it. "Nice to have it back? I'll miss it." His grin widened. The cameraman took a step closer, anticipated something that the viewers would eat up. "You're a little feisty girl. A little tough, but more so lucky."

My eyebrows tightened, but my smile still lingered on my face. "You think I won because of _luck_ and not power?"

He wiggled his finger at me. "Exactly. See, you're brainy. Nothing gets past you." He winked. I knew he was kidding, he called me naïve and told me that I missed things.

I smirked. "Well you are a fine opponent. Next time you have a challenger make sure you wipe that 'I'm better than you' grin of your face and replace your unbeatable attitude, because Blake, you have been beaten for the second time and it _won't _be the last. Tell that to Lea." I winked and matched his grin before turning around and walking towards the door.

"Hey, I'll meet you at the Center for an interview!" The cameraman called.

I nodded and pushed the door open, Gabite and I exited. I returned her and left for the Pokémon Center. I felt remarkable and like I could rule the world. My grin didn't leave my face all the way to the Center.

* * *

><p>I sat in the lobby as Blake, the cameraman and Steven, the man from Jubilife News, came in for my second interview. Thankfully Constance and Maxina hadn't shown up.<p>

Steven sat down on the chair next to me. "Now, uh," he paused, "are you going to fix your hair?" He made a disgusted face.

"No." I snapped. He slightly rolled his eyes and readied himself for the camera.

"Hello Sinnoh! I'm sitting here with Cynthia the trainer who has made to gym number five, or Blake's gym in Pastoria." Blake stood behind the camera, grinning creepily at me. Steven turned towards me. "Now Cynthia, after you lost to Blake, what were you feeling?"

I slightly smiled. "I felt a little disappointed, but I knew all I had to do was get better and I could win. And that's what happened."

"Yes it was what happened. What did you do to prepare for the second challenge?"

"I trained my Pokémon harshly." I fake laughed. "I think they all hate me now."

Steven laughed with me. "No! Who could hate Cynthia Everheart? Now, after you won, what were you feeling?"

I sighed happily and my smile widened. "I felt like I was on top of the world. It was breathtaking."

"I'm sure it was. Now what are you going to do?"

"Well, I am going to take a test to get a flyers license."

"You? Flying? Sinnoh skies better watch out! I kid of course." He laughed and paused. "Unrelated to your battling and such, how do you feel about the attacks in Canalave?"

"_Attacks_? More than one?"

"Why, yes. There was another bombing." He seemed confused that I didn't know this, I would slap myself for looking stupid later.

I thought for a moment. A thought hit me. It was something I thought of before the interview,  
>I thought about attempting to send a message to the rebels through this interview. This was the time to do it. "I…" I hesitated. I couldn't mess this up. "I think that it's horrible. This needs to stop <em>now<em>. Someone needs to stop this and fight back now."

"Fight back? What are you saying?"

"Fight back… As in send a message to the attacker, maybe?" I tried to sound like I was unsure and was pulling answers out of my ear. "But nonetheless, this needs to stop. Peace in Sinnoh is all I want." I wouldn't say that was a lie, but it was close enough.

"Lea has tried to send many messages but is unsuccessful." _Wonder why. _

_ I need to change the subject before I put myself in a deeper hole. _I smiled. "I hope it works. Can I say something to my family?"

"Of course!" He seemed genuinely delighted.

I looked right into the camera. "Family, please stay safe. Know that I love you and constantly think of you."

"That's wonderful. With that, we'll close. Cynthia Everheart everyone." The camera cut off. "Alright Cynthia, stay tough. We're rooting for you." He stood up and left off. Blake came and sat next to me.

"Send a message to the attackers?" He threw his head back and laughed. _Attackers? What does this guy know? _

"Why is that funny?" My voice was filled with annoyance.

"Oh, your TV act is very laughable. Your one of many masks." He chuckled. I felt chills go up and down my arms.

"Well excuse me." I looked away and crossed my arms over my chest.

He laughed hard. "Cynthia, Cynthia, you're too funny! You want people to think you're this grownup lady but you're just a little child." He took a break to laugh. "And you want to be the champion?! How amusing!"

Okay, now this was weird. I shoot him a look. "How did you know that?" _…And everything else? _

"Oh Cynthia, no one pulls wool over my eyes. You're scared stiff of Lea, which only means you want to challenge him. You want to replace him and be the Sinnoh League Champion. You have big dreams, you know." His grin turned into a smirk. He had my attention, I clung to every word. And he knew it.

"You aren't cut out for the job, Sweetie." The way he said 'Sweetie' made me want to scream. He was just so creepy and weird. "You're a scared little girl. You're probably scared because of a past tragedy. A death, maybe?" He scratched his chin in thought. "But I can't figure why you wanted to set out to be the champion, you say for your deceased grandfather, that's where the death part comes in, but why? Did he hate Lea?" He wasn't asking me these questions, he was asking them to himself. He knew he was manipulating me.

"Possible, but something tells me you're going back on your first thoughts." He met my eyes. "At first you were so set to be the champion, right? You were so ready, right? Now you don't think so. Now that you've been out in the world, you're intimidated. And most importantly, scared to _death_ of Lea."

I couldn't deny any of this. It was all true. So insanely true.

"But something still pushes you on. I thought it was your winning streak, and when you lost I assumed you would crawl back under your rock, but no, you challenged me again. Is it really the thought that you're somehow avenging your granddad?" He looked away in though again.

"No, that doesn't seem right. It must be because you think that now you have Sinnoh counting on you. Let's tell the truth," he leaned in closer, "they don't depend on you as much as you think they do. If you quit, something will make them forget about you. That's why Jubilife exists, right?"

He leaned back in his chair. "So what pushes you forward now?" He sighed, as if he was aggravated. He stood up. "I guess nothing." He left the Center.

Blake had me freaked out. He just explained perfectly what I was feeling, and he made me realize it perfectly. I was scared to death of Lea.

* * *

><p>I laid awake in bed that night. I was worried about everything and was an emotional wreck. Thumper slept at my feet, he took up most of the foot space so I had my feet resting on him. Roselia laid beside me and Golduck liked to sit on the floor and stare at me. It was like I mesmerized him. Creepy little duck.<p>

I rolled unto my side. I knew I wouldn't get much sleep tonight. I was so unsure about everything. I was such a mess, I seriously considered going back to Celestic. That's what I felt I needed.

Thumper popped his head out of the blanked and looked towards the door. I didn't think anything of it.

Then I heard the click of the door closing. I jumped up. "Golduck—"

I was too late, a hand slapped over my mouth.

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Note: Hey readers. Chapter twenty-one has been written, just not posted because now I have a system! It's hard to explain, but the plan is there are supposed to be quicker updates without me ripping out my eyes. <strong>

**What does "Go vote on my poll, it's important!" mean? Oh yeah, go vote! If you don't I'll kill off every one of Cyn's Pokemon. Go vote!**

**Akeyaranu: Let's just say that dream was more reality then Cynthia realizes. And I understand your crash course was to help me... But I wasn't taught that way. Considering what I learned in over ten years old I'd think it's safe to say that things have changed in the grammar world... It's hard to just change to something different, you know? But! I will attempt to do so. It's not like I'm plain-out ignoring your tips, just know that. Smile! **

**Thanks for reading! **


	22. Caught

_Chapter Twenty-one: Caught_

_Running From Myself_

My heart pounded out of my chest. I started squirming and screaming, but my screams were muffled by the hand cupped over my mouth. I tried to remove the hand and I even clawed at the arm.

"You're hurting me!" I heard in a whisper.

_Kedah? _I recognized the voice. The light came on, I looked over. Ellena and Kedah had invaded my room. Kedah, thinking I was calm, removed her hand from my face and took a step back.

But I was _not_ calm. "What are you guys doing?!" I whispered. "You can't just barge into my room unexpectedly! What if I was naked!" Then I gasped and looked down at myself. No, I was halfway clothed.

Ellena snickered. "Well hello to you too, Princess."

I crossed my arms over my chest. Then realization hit, they got my message. I smiled. "You got my message?"

"Yep. Hilbert contacted us and told us to get down here, and because the boys had to go to the mines it's just us." Kedah said. She looked at her arms, my claws left nice marks on her dark skin. "Sinnoh! Kitty left a mark!" I smirked.

"The mines hours got upped." Ellena sat on my bed. "Everyone works long days and they're not getting paid extra. Lea has it out for us."

"He does." I agreed. "I know where we have to attack."

"Not the same place as last time, that was hard!" Kedah groaned and sat on the sofa.

"Where was last time?" I asked.

"The coliseum. Didn't you hear about it?"

I thought back to the first Pastoria bombing. "I guess I did. But now we need to bomb a guards house, they are insane here."

"They're insane _everywhere_." Ellena said, I could hear the offense in her voice. They were worse in Oreburgh, for certain.

"We can actually do something about here though." Reassurance laced my tone. Ellena nodded and then smirked.

"I know just what we can do."

* * *

><p>Rain started to sprinkle. I pulled my hood up and kept moving. I had Bibarel's Pokéball in hand, ready in case I had to call him out.<p>

"Alright, there's the guard post." Ellena said. We looked at the back of a small brick building. There was a door that was ajar, at our angle we could see a guard napping on the couch.

I was beginning to feel apprehensive about the whole thing, but our plan was already in action. There was no backing down now. I took a deep breath. "I'm ready." I told Ellena. I lacked everything confidence related. That was the truth. I felt like this was a bad idea.

Why didn't I listen? Easy, I assumed the presence was telling me it was a bad idea. It decided to drop in to say hello, and even though it left I could still feel the bad vibes fluttering around me. _I'm still mad at you. _I thought, hoping that it could hear me. If it did or didn't I will never know, nonetheless it would figure it out.

Air whipped by me quickly. My cloak was caught in the wind and my hood slipped off my head. I hurriedly fixed it.

I heard Ellena take a deep breath, it was time.

She pulled out a small round thing. They explained that that was a small bomb, once it went off it would catch the post on fire and nothing else. It wouldn't take out the whole town.

Ellena jogged out to the back of the building, I could still see through the door. She pulled the top off the bomb, tossed it down and ran back to the woods for her life. Kedah was off in the distance watching for anyone coming our way. My job was to stand far enough away that I wouldn't take a blow but close enough so I could observe the attack and make sure everything went as planned.

The bomb exploded. Fire busted out of the shell and immediately rose up the wall. The grey and gold bricks turned jet black and I had to cover my nose to keep from coughing. Smoke rose into the air. I started taking steps backwards, afraid that crowds would draw near. I decided that it was about time to go meet up with Ellena and Kedah.

Before I turned and walked off, the back door to the post broke off its hinges and fell to the ground. I looked into the building. The man who had slept on the couch was now standing up. He was screaming and holding his face. His hands and arms were blooded, I noticed that his skin had started to peel from his body. He slumped to his knees. He cried out. Then the brick wall collapsed on top of him.

My first instinct was to run to his rescue, I had to fight that instinct. _He's the bad guy, he's the bad guy. _I repeated. Did I believe it? No. Not anymore.

I was frozen. The wall collapsed more and screams rang out. People were dying, that's a big deal. People were dying because of me.

The presence returned. The hand was placed on my shoulder. "Run." I heard. "Run."

_I'm not listening. _I told the thing. Then wind wisped by and fear shot through me. Unnatural fear made especially for possessed people. "Run." That time I listened.

I stumbled around the trees and tried to find the trail back to the field. That's where I would find Kedah and Ellena.

I tripped and fell face-first on the ground. I hit my head and everything went black.

* * *

><p>Water covered my face. My eyes quickly fluttered open. I shot up into the sitting position, I was in the swampy field.<p>

"Oh Cynthia!" Kedah said. "You're awake, thank Pokémon you're awake!"

"You scared me to death." Ellena muttered. Her eyes were glossy. It was out of character for her to tear up, but considering she lost not only her father but her sister, it was alright. She was allowed.

"How—how long was I out?" I grabbed my head. I didn't have a headache, I didn't feel any pain at all. I began to slightly freak out, but then peace coursed through me. The peace I was addicted to. I laid back and soaked up the peace, inhaled it like sweet smelling berries.

"Not long. You collapsed right outside of the field, when you fell you accidently released Bibarel and he started randomly hitting trees, we heard the noise and found you." Ellena explained.

"Then we brought you here and Bibarel shot you with a Water Gun." Kedah continued. I looked over at my Pokémon, he sat there happily. I patted his head.

"Thank you." I told him. He nodded then lifted his nose to the air proudly. I chuckled. Then I remembered. "What happened? The guard post is down, right?"

Kedah nodded and smiled. "You better believe it. The town is in uproar now."

I sat up again. "Sinnoh!" I jumped up. "I need to be in town! They're going to know it's me!"

Ellena jumped up with me. "No they won't. Let's get you back to the Center."

I had an idea. "No, not the Center. The coliseum."

* * *

><p>I few minutes later the three of us were un-cloaked and behind the coliseum. "This is risky." Kedah said <em>again<em>.

"Kedah, it'll work. So be quiet." Ellena snapped. She looked at me, she didn't say anything but I knew she was silently asking me if I was ready. I nodded. She faced the door. It was a door that was at the side of the building. She opened it and peeked in. "Coast is clear. It's a hallway."

I looked in. Sure enough a hallway lined the inside. I stepped in, gave a nod to Ellena, and closed the door. My 'plan' was this: I would find the place to take my flying test, take it, and walk out the front door. If anyone asks me where I was I would say taking my test. Which was true… Sort of.

I walked down the hallway. At the end was the lobby. I could see through the glass front doors, groups were outside talking and yelling. I focused back to the room. Every corner held a desk, the desk attendants was away at the moment. The closest one, to my right, wouldn't really be in-view from outsiders looking in, so I inched towards that one.

Once I got there I realized that that was the Hunting Games information desk. And that wasn't my desk. Next would be the one to the far left, that would be more in-view, but it was a chance I had to take.

I moved to that desk. The trainer's information desk. Perfect. Right in front was a paper talking about the flyers test, it was in room B3. I looked around, every hallway had a letter above it. Hallway A was the one I came from then B was right next to it.

As soon as I made it to the hallway I grinned and fought the urge to jump up happily and scream. There were four doors, I found room three and stepped in. It was empty. Thank goodness. Every desk had the same screen that the counters in the Center did. I picked the closest one and tapped the thing with my finger. It lit up and the holograph appeared in front of my face.

_Welcome! Prepare to take the test. _It read.

For the next ten minutes the holograph would ask a question and give me three answers to choose from. I scored nine-out-of-ten. It was easy, the first five questions were about different types of Pokémon, one said: If up against a Staraptor, what Pokémon would most likely win? A. Pikachu, B. Goldeen, or C. Another Staraptor. Easy. Then the next three questions were location questions. Example: What town is closest to Sunyshore? Easy, Pastoria. Then the other two were 'flying skill' questions.

I walked to the front of the class where a large screen sat. "Congratulations, here is your license." A small card popped out of the screen, I grabbed it and walked out of the room with a big smile of victory on my face.

Once I got to the front door, I didn't hesitate when I walked out. As I suspected, a group of reporters ran to me. "Cynthia, how do you feel about the latest attack?" One asked.

I pretended to look shocked. I was a convincing actress. "Another attack?!"

"Yes, where have you been?" The man wasn't buying it.

"I was getting my flying license." I showed him.

The reporters decided I wasn't worth their time and walked off. Another smile of victory. With that, I went back to the Center.

As soon as I got to my room, the peace went away.

Kedah and Ellena bounced around me happily but I wasn't at all happy. I watched someone die. They died because of me.

I put on my fake smile and sat on the bed. They kept chirping about how well everything went and that they don't need the boys help. I wasn't having any of it. _Please come back… I need you… _I thought out to the spirit. I needed the peace.

The sun set shortly after. Kedah and Ellena said their goodbyes and left back for their town. I went out to the Mart to grab some dinner.

It was raining hard, I jogged to the shop. The door 'dinged' when I stepped in. I quickly found some greens that would make a nice salad and bought them. The bell above the door dinged, my gaze went to the person coming in. I recognized him as the sailor who was being beaten by a guard.

When I realized I was staring I grabbed my things and left the store. But once I exited, I heard the ding again. The rain had paused. I looked over my shoulder as I walked, he was following me. I got to the Center and walked in. He followed. No one but a nurse was in the lobby, and I was scared, so I decided to confront him.

I turned around and got right to the point. "Why are you following me?" Fear didn't shine at all in my tone.

"I know what you did." The burly sailor whispered.

_No, he cannot know, he must be fibbing! _"And that is?" I let my annoyance be known.

"I know you set the bomb off."

I swore. "How do you—you are insane." I rolled my eyes and turned around.

"You can't run from this." He said.

I stopped and sighed. He was right. I turned back around. "No one will believe you." I muttered.

He shook his head. "I'm not a tattle-tail Miss, I just wanted to thank you."

"Thank me?" I was shocked. "Thank me for… Doing what I did?" _But I killed people… _

He nodded. "My wife is very sick, she has a bad virus. Those guards were harsh and wouldn't let me go check on her, you gave them what they deserve."

"How do you know?"

"After the bombing I saw someone running in the woods. I followed them. I saw them hit the dirt and a Bibarel came out. That kind of gave it away." He chuckled. Our voices were hushed.

"Right… Please don't tell anyone."

"I won't. This'll be our secret. But I want to give you a gift." He dug into his pocket and pulled out a Pokéball. "My wife used to be in contests, she was a national champ, I talked to her and she wants you to have this." He handed me the purple and pink ball.

"…What?! A Pokémon? I can't accept this." I took a step back. "Really, that is too much."

"No, please. It would be my honor if you took this and fought with her and made her strong, and one day, when you're out in the big games, I'll see you fighting with this Pokémon and remember what a good person you are." He smiled.

I returned a smile. "Thank you." I took the ball. "Is this your only Pokémon?"

"I have a Whooper that runs around a house… He's more of a companion then defender." He laughed.

"Then I really can't leave you defenseless…" I thought for a moment. I knew what I had to do. I grabbed one of the Pokéballs from my belt-loop and handed it to him. "This is my Bibarel. He's strong and will protect you."

The sailor looked at the ball. He snarled his nose. "Really, I don't need that."

I took some offense, Bibarel was tough. I grabbed Golduck's Pokéball instead. "Here's Golduck. He's tough too."

The sailor gladly took him. "You're kind. But let me tell you, you're in way over your head. You're playing Lea's game now, that's not taken lightly. I'll hate to hear that something will happen to you… But that's what I'm afraid will end up happening." He shook his head. "You need to stop this. Stop what you're doing. This isn't good." With that, he left.

Okay, talk about being freaked. I wasn't just freaked, I was scared, worried, homesick, disgusted, tired and more importantly confused. Confused about _everything. _

_"You aren't cut out for the job, Sweetie." _I thought back to the conversation I had with Blake. That would make two people telling me I was in too deep. Of course Blake was manipulating me, but why? _He likes Lea, he doesn't want me replacing him. _I thought. _He probably doesn't like me… Or anyone for that matter. He just wants to live in his dungeon and get money from Lea. If I become the champion I'll ruin all his little plans. That's a good reason. _

On top of that, I doubted myself. _This is a mistake. I am not cut out for this. I cannot be the champion, cannot be a rebel and frankly Sinnoh won't miss me. _"If you quit, something will make them forget about you." Blake's words ran through my mind. _I should have never left Grandmother. This whole thing is a mistake. _

I laid in bed for hours. It was dead of night. I couldn't sleep. I heard rain pound down on the window. I had realized what I needed to do, but I didn't accept it until then.

I was going to quit. I would go home the next morning and never look back.

* * *

><p><strong>Flubby: Thank you for your awesome review! It was so great getting one from you, but something confused me. The last line "I like where you're stealing this from." Would you mind explaining what that means exactly? <strong>

**Thank you for reading.**


	23. Normal

_Chapter Twenty-two: Normal_

_Running From Myself_

I woke up feeling sick. I ran to the bathroom and vomited. It was understandable, considering that I was up most of the night in tears over everything. _Why does this decision have to be so hard? _I would think. Even if I was as naïve as Blake said I could still answer that question. It was a big decision and I had no guidance. If I was home I would talk to Grandmother. That's what I needed. I needed home.

I walked back into the bedroom. Thumper peered through his eyelids but quickly shut them. I always felt bad when I kept him up. A part from being torn up because of being a trainer and rebel, I also missed Golduck. "It was a bad idea." I murmured. I gave away one of the toughest Pokémon on my team, for a Pokémon I didn't know a _thing _about. That proved I was naïve and not cut out for the job.

Roselia hopped off the couch and danced over to me. She cocked her head at me. I knew she was asking why I was distressed. "Well Grass Type, I'm going to go home. I'm quitting. That's why." I smiled at her then grabbed my head. A headache was coming on. Before I could slump on the bed, I ran back to the bathroom to yak up the rest of the stuff in my stomach.

I moved over to the sink and scrubbed my face with cold water. That was a technique I learned from Grandmother to help ease a stomach. I hoped it would work. I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked sick. My eyelids drooped, my cheeks were red but my face was pale and I had serious under-eye circles. Great.

Just then, I felt the presence around. It was popping in a lot more often recently. The hand laid on my shoulder. "I do not want you around." I said. It didn't leave.

"Mistakes. Mistakes." It whispered. This time, I saw a shadowy reflection in the mirror.

"Yes, this whole thing was a mistake." I agreed. The shadow left, the hand remained.

"Your mistakes are to come…"

"Great, you're really telling me this is a bad idea? As I said before, I am not listening to you anymore."

No response.

"_Fine_. Be like that. Just leave me alone!" The presence left. "Thank goodness."

* * *

><p>After lunch I was feeling much better. I gathered my things and left for Celestic Town.<p>

I was in a rush to leave. I didn't want to look back, I didn't want to change my mind. Sinnoh was not on my shoulders. I was on Route 214, hiking up on the mountains. Rainclouds lingered around the skies and the path was dirty. Not as if I was complaining. The thought of going home was becoming a good thought.

I kept peeking at my map. I was going the right way, and somewhere in my head I knew it, but I didn't like traveling with unsure feelings following me. Of course, as if I summoned it, the presence showed up.

"Mistakes."

"Yes I know, you think this is as mistake. I get it. Do you want to share more? Maybe answer I question?" Nothing. "Why are you following me around? Why am I possessed?" I tried. The presence left. "You are so very helpful." I murmured.

Once I would get to Celestic I would do some studying on my little 'presence' and how to rid it from my life. Being home would help me put my head on straight and get my life back to normal. _Normal._ That word was weird to me.

_Normal _didn't mean Golden Cities, interviews and challenging gyms. Normal was being in Celestic, spending my days with Grandmother and Jamie. Studying at home and taking hikes near Cornet Mountain. Going to the shop and learning about the amazing discoveries made every day.

Most importantly being with Grandmother. She needed me. She was probably so alone… She probably spent extra-hours at the shop. Maybe she was going hungry. I _needed _to get home, I _needed_ to get back to the normal world and out of this unreal, fantasy life.

'Fantasy' was the wrong word to use. Horrible would have sufficed.

I was more than freaked out. I was ready for home.

When I made it to Veilstone I stopped for some dinner. Because I knew that this area of Sinnoh had rainstorms I stayed there for the night. Wouldn't want to camp in a rainstorm.

* * *

><p>The next day I made it to Solaceon a bit after lunch. Hilda and Hilbert were delighted to see me and invited me in to eat. The issue was, however, their home was nearly empty. Their televisions and lobby furniture were gone. The desk was cleared and covered in dust. The kitchen appliances were gone and they were down on food. For lunch we had bread and Moo Moo milk.<p>

This made me worry… Was this in Celestic's future?

"Why is Lea doing this?" I asked Hilbert when Hilda left the room.

He sighed. "Youngin'… I wish I knew."

I sat back in the wooden chair and copied his sigh. "I just want to know why."

"I get it, I want t' too. A part of me wants t' say out a spite, but another wants t' say that there's another reason."

I nodded and agreed. "We're not helping, are we?" I whispered.

"No, we're really not."

The rebels weren't helping… Towns were going into a depression… That made my decision clear, I needed to be _home_ when everything melted into a puddle of despair. I needed to be with my grandmother and help her.

"Those kids are so set, Pete was so set. They were gonna make a difference, change the world." Hilbert said. "Pete had all these plans, when he passed on, Ellena took over. She's a good little lady, but she lets her anger control." I agreed, but Ellena had plenty to be mad about.

"Hilbert, are we becoming the bad guys?" I asked. Hilda came back into the room. I would never get an answer, but I knew. I knew everything was a mistake.

* * *

><p>Fog filled the night air. Cold chills ran up and down my spine. I wrapped my arms around myself and trekked forward. I was close to Celestic. The familiar smell was nice. Woody and fresh. I had forgotten how cold my hometown was, and I had forgotten about the thick fog.<p>

When I turned on an all-too-familiar trail my excitement level rose. It hadn't fully sunk in, but I was ready to take Grandmother into an embrace and tell her I would never leave her again. It was exciting and at the same time confusing. Confusing, confuse, confused. That explained my life.

I saw a light ahead. I realized that it was the Center. It took me a minute to figure it out through the fog, but nevertheless I did. I continued on. I knew that I needed to pass the Center and my house would be at the end of the street, next to the pond.

My strides were long, I was ready to get out of this cold. I saw a glow from the front window. I sprinted to the wooden door and didn't hesitate. I pushed it open and walked in.

Immediately I noticed the glow from the television. There was a single lamp on next to the couch, on the couch a body laid stretched out and relaxed. It was Clarice, Jamie's younger sister, who I considered a younger sister, sleeping on the old green cushions.

I closed the door and looked towards the back of the tiny room. Grandmother stood there, back turned, scrubbing at the dishes. I grinned. I took in a big breath, sure enough Grandmother's famous soup scent filled the air.

"Hello." I said. Grandmother slightly jumped, but she quickly spun around. I was delighted and honestly surprised to see that her figure hadn't changed, she wasn't too skinny, her face had acquired a few more creases around her face but she still looked young for her age. Her hair was in a bun and she wore a nightgown, she was preparing for bed.

"Why, Cynthia!" She came to me and hugged me tightly. "What are you doing home? It's so great to see you! Is something wrong? How are your Pokémon? You have gotten taller! Are you eating right?" Everything spilled out of her mouth.

I laughed. "Grandmother, slow down." Clarice stirred on the couch. She lifted her head.

"Cyn-Cyn!" She yelled. She flew off the sofa and into my arms. "I missed you so-so-so-so-so much! More than Jamie, I swear! I'm so-so-so-so-so-so-so-so-so happy to see you!"

I pushed her curls out of her face. "I'm so happy to see_ you_, Clarice." I hadn't realized how much I missed her until then.

She grinned. "Now both my sisters are here!" She jumped up and down.

Grandmother laughed. "Alright Clarice, head home. Your grandparents are probably worried. Be safe." She hugged Clarice and then the little girl took off. Grandmother chuckled. "That girl comes and visits me every day, she says 'Cynthia would want me to visit' every time."

That made me happy. "How have you been?" I asked. Worry filled my voice and my face tightened.

"I have been fine. Worried about _you_ mostly." She smiled and caressed my face. "How are you, Dear?"

"I—" Good, fine, fantastic, any of those would have worked. But nothing came out of my mouth. Right then so many emotions filled me. I wanted to be strong for Grandmother while not wanting to lie. "Tired." I spit. "Very, very tired."

She smiled her gentle smile. "Why don't you go to bed. We can talk tomorrow."

"That sounds very good." I embraced her again and started for my bedroom.

I opened the door and it hit the bed. _Right, I forgot. _I turned on my lamp and looked around. Everything was so small. I had no walk space. I put my bag on my bed and started unpacking. I got through most of the bag when I came across the stones Grandmother sent me for my birthday, I would get her to help me with those later.

I finished unpacking and changed into my favorite pajama pants and one of my father's old t-shirts. I only had two and I didn't pack them and take them with me. Why? Well, I knew that if I would see them while out trying to train, I would lose focus. Glad to know I was so set on focusing _only _on training when I left.

I looked at the picture of Mother and Father on my desk. They smiled at me, I smiled at them.

Someone knocked on the door. I reached over and opened it. Grandmother stood there. "I am retiring Cynthia." She said. I hugged her.

"I love you… I missed you." My throat tightened. Sinnoh, I missed her.

"As I do you." She pulled away and shut the door. I heard the boards creak as she walked into her room.

I decided I deserved one last break-down cry-fest, then I would be done. I crawled in bed and cried for the next two hours. Soon after sweet sleep took me away.

The next day was normal. I woke up, got dressed and sat at the table as Grandmother fixed me her special vegetable soup and honey bread. We saved honey bread for special occasions, apparently she was happy I was home.

I started inhaling the hot liquid. It was _very_ good. I missed it. I missed a lot of things.

"Cynthia," Grandmother sat across from me, "why are you home? Are you just visiting?"

It took me a moment to answer. Was I supposed to just come out and say 'No, I quit' to her? I couldn't say otherwise… Considering I did quit. "Grandmother…This is hard to say…" I took a deep breath. "Everything has become a battle out there. Everything has turned almost upside-down. I was homesick and ready to come home. I am _not_ cut out for the journey…" I fought back tears. I had never cried in front of her, I wasn't starting now.

"You cannot act that way." She said. "You cannot give up. Why are you stopping?"

I wanted to pour my heart out. I wanted to wallow around in my sorrows and melt. "Because I am not ready to meet Lea, I am not ready to take on so much responsibility."

"Yes you are, I believe in you. You are strong and brave, what else is there?" Her voice was gentle and caring, but her eyes were full of confusion. She wasn't understanding.

"You do not understand…" She didn't understand. Not at all. I wish I could have told her, but it was for the best she didn't know everything.

"What do I not understand, Cynthia?"

"Everything." I snapped. She flinched. Anger replaced my tears. I stood up and stomped to my room. Before I opened the door, I turned back to her. "You will never understand, and I _do not_ want to talk about this anymore." I slammed the door and sat on my bed. I didn't have a meltdown, I tried to douse my raging fire.

An hour passed and I walked back into the living room. Grandmother had left for the shop. I didn't know what to do. I sat on the sofa and turned on the television. It was blurry and fuzzy, how come I didn't realize that before? Oh yeah, because I learned what a clear picture was.

I didn't pay attention to what was on the screen. I got lost in my own thoughts. _Why did I yell at Grandmother? She really didn't deserve it…_ I got frustrated because I couldn't tell her the truth… And because I wanted to block everything out.

I just needed to get back into my normal life. Unfortunately, normal wasn't satisfying, but I forced it to work.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hello people of the reading world! Is anybody else excited to see where this is going?! I certainly am. And I just wanted to say this: *NO SPOILERS, PROMISE. There is a whole other element that hasn't even been brought in. You will see it faintly in the next chapter, which will hopefully be uploaded soon. Excited?! Be excited! Any guesses? I want to know how smart y'all are. **

**On another note... Are you guys familiar with my community for Cynthia-centered stories? Well, as I've said before (I think?) I need staff. I used to invite people who have written Cynthia stories and who I think will be a good staff-member because frankly, I don't have time to look for stories. So. Anybody interested? I will invite you and you can except and just add whenever you see one. Side note, I'm changing the NO M RATED rule, but please, don't put anything super explicit on there. I don't want my community being the explicit community. And that's that. **

**Shout-out**** to my reviewers, I appreciate it all and none of what you say goes ignored. **

**Thanks for reading! **


	24. Presence

_Chapter Twenty-three: Presence_

_Running From Myself_

I rolled over to my side and yawned. My eyes opened. The room was dark. That was normal for Celestic. Some days are nice and bright but most are dark and gloomy. I rolled out of bed and headed for the kitchen. Grandmother was already out. I found some old bread and ate it for breakfast.

Thumper wondered out to the room. He slept in my bed last night. "Hello there." I said. If Grandmother knew he was out roaming about, she would freak out. I sat on the couch and he jumped up with me. "Today we're getting our butts in action." Grandmother would hate that word, too. One thing that changed while I was away was my dialect. I picked up new words and phrases that Grandmother wouldn't approve of.

"I am going to the shop to pick up every book I can find on possessions. I will once and for all rid my spirit fiend and try to get my life back to normal." I smiled and finished the bread. I quickly got dressed, fixed my hair, slid on my coat and headed out.

Hoping Jamie would be there, I practically jogged through the fog. I couldn't see her the day before because she was busy. Busy with what I don't know, but I wanted to see her today.

I made it to the shop and walked through the door. The smell of ash filled my nose, a fire burned in the nearby fireplace, making the room welcoming and cozy.

"Cyn-Cyn!" Clarice hopped off of the old desk and ran over to me. I picked her up and sat her on my hip.

"Hey Clarice. Jamie around?"

She shook her head. "She went out to the mountain, she'll be back soon. She said she wants to see you but her research is always important." She rolled her eyes the grand way I did.

I laughed. "Sounds like her." I put her down. "I'm going to do some reading, stay out of trouble." I pushed her hair out of her face and walked into the next room. The next room was the Cornet Mountain room. It was filled with artifacts and maps, very interesting if you were into that thing.

Grandmother and Lilliana were over at the huge, antique desk. They both leaned over it and studied some old piece of paper. They were too lost in a debate to realize I walked in.

"No, Carolina, I'm telling you that that's the flower from the old times."

"You are insane. That's nothing but a frost flower."

I rolled my eyes and smirked. They were a funny bunch to watch. I turned to my left and went into the small library room. It looked a lot like my grandfathers study, they probably both held the same amount of books, but I knew that Grandfather wouldn't have a book of possessions in his office.

It took me a half an hour, but I finally found three books that were slightly on the subject. One was a book on psychic energy, an ancient book of the arcane and a book on Ghost Type Pokémon. Hopefully that would shine some light on my little issue.

I sat at the desk and turned on the lamp. I picked the arcane book. Thumbing through it I saw many diagrams. They were of intersecting lines forming shapes. Orbs or star-like shapes. The most frequent was different shapes of an eyeball. Sort of interesting, actually. I stopped at one of the diagrams.

It was a purple circle with pink lines waving through it. The title was "Joining Into Another." Seemed right. I read the paragraph underneath, basically it meant that the colors were joining another and the circle symbolized matrimony. How helpful.

After a while of reading about arcane symbols I tossed the book to the side. Great, my journey of discovery was going so well. I grabbed the Ghost Pokémon book, thinking it would be better.

One of the first entries was about Sableye. I read aloud. "Sableye, the soul stealing Pokémon, is one of the most feared Pokémon. Because it lacks proper eyeballs, the windows to the soul, it is said to have no soul. It usually is quite friendly, however, and only tricks wondering travelers for attention. Only on rare occasions has someone 'lost a soul' to this Pokémon and when that has happened the Pokémon has given the soul, or parts of it, back." _This could be my problem. _"The Pokémon only steals your soul for a very limited time and normally leaves you alone unless you have mental problems and no willpower." Yeah, not my problem.

The next was about Sableye's fellow Dark and Ghost Type Spiritomb. I knew she wasn't playing with my emotions, but it was worth a peak to learn about her, right? _Spiritomb is a dangerous Ghost and Dark Type Pokémon. This Pokémon was created when Legendaries came together and banned certain spirit Pokémon to an underground world. When this happened some of the sprits clumped together and formed one Pokémon: Spiritomb. Spiritomb's bark is worse than its bite, however, and hasn't been known to do bad unless it's provoked. In which case, it usually uses its puddle-forming abilities and disappearing and reappearing abilities to scare people. _Looked like I was safe there.

I read on about more Ghost Types. None could sneak into you and possess you. I needed to dig deeper, much deeper. Maybe the issue wasn't Ghost Types at all. _If it's Pokémon. _

Well, I hoped it was Pokémon. I opened the psychic energy book. The first part was the 'Introductory to the Psychic World." I skipped that part. The first chapter was on psychic reading, skipped. The second chapter was on connecting to the spirit world, there we go.

A whole chapter on connecting to the spirit world later, I still didn't know how to rid the thing. But I did have a few good ways to communicate with my presence. Or _spirit _rather. I closed the book and tried to stuff it in my bag. The problem was I didn't carry my bag around. Looked like getting back to 'normal' was harder than I thought.

After sneaking the book out of the shop, I headed for home. I was ready to get to communicating.

Shouldn't I have known that my plans don't ever, ever, ever go _as_ planned?

"Cynthia!" I heard. I looked towards the sound, Jamie was running to me. She collided with me and embraced me. "Cynthia! Oh my goodness it's _so_ great to see you!"

I hugged her back. I grinned. "It's good to see you too!" She stepped back. Her long brown hair still looked the same, my hair was still longest, and her face had looked like it aged in the short time I was away. She looked more like a woman and less like a child.

"So what are you doing back home, Miss Future Champion?" She asked. I forgot how peppy she was.

"Oh you know, taking a break. It's rough out there." Had I just lied to Jamie? Yes I did. Why? Because I realized she had turned into one of the fans 'resting on my shoulders' and I was letting her down by quitting.

"I'm sure it is. I've watched your battles, I've been busy here, you know. I've been going to Cornet _all_ the time and studying all sorts of Celestic things. We have _such_ a cool origin. I can't wait until I'm the elder and can make decisions. No offense to your grandmamma or anything." I also forgot how much she talked.

I couldn't help but laugh. I busted out laughing. I missed her so much it hurt to just think about.

"What?" She started to chuckle, but she had no idea what I was laughing at.

"I missed you a lot Jamie. So much." I hugged her again and then we started for my house.

It wasn't until we sat on my sofa that she noticed my book. "Whoa, Cyn, has being a trainer made you all weird?" She pulled the book out of my hand and flipped through it.

_Yes._ I fake laughed. "No, I just thought it would be interesting."

She gave me a weird look then handed the book back. "Whatever sinks your ship Cynie." She went on to talk about Mt. Cornet and occasionally stop and twirl her finger in her hair. I little quirk that was so Jamie it was laughable. In fact, I did chuckle at her once or twice. She would reply with sticking her tongue out or something childish like that.

We talked for another few hours. Just catching up, apparently I missed a lot. I was sad I couldn't fully return the favor, but I told her all about my Pokémon. _She_ seemed to think Gabite was cute being grumpy. I respectively disagreed. Well, not really respectively.

Even though we talked for so long Ember didn't come up until later. "You know, Isis is still sick." She said.

I sighed. "Yes… I'll have to go visit them and get them to tell me what happened, maybe I could go out and find him."

Jamie nodded. "I wish he was back. He left without saying goodbye." Her voice was filled with sorrow.

"I know. It would have been nice if he said something to someone. He would have made it to Jubilife by now if he wanted to be a trainer."

"Yeah, makes you wonder what happened." I nodded and agreed. I didn't want to think about what happened, but the thoughts still came around my head. Ember made it to Hearthrome and died. He tried to campout in the woods and died. He was involved in a bombing and died. They didn't end after that, they got worse and more… Descriptive.

Jamie, noting my in-thought look, stood up off the couch. "Cyn, you shouldn't start your insane worrying. You need to just get up and get your mind thinking about something else."

I looked at my book, I really needed to sit down and talk to my spirit, instead I stood up and walked outside with my friend. We sat at the pond and dipped our feet in, something we did quite often. Clarice and a few other children were running around playing. For some people that would have been relaxing, but not for me. I needed to clear my head.

I laid back and looked at the sky. Before I left off, how did I clear my head? I normally could just sit down and clear it easily, that wouldn't happen. After I left off I would always get a clear mind after training. _That doesn't sound like a bad way. _I thought.

"Jamie, do you want to meet my Pokémon?"

* * *

><p>Jamie and I finished training at dinnertime. We went back to her family's house. Grandmother and Lilliana stood in the front room of the shop.<p>

"Cynthia, Jamie, dinner will be ready soon." Lilliana said.

The evening went on. We had dinner with Jamie's family, who was basically my family, and then Grandmother and I went home. We sat and watched the nightly news together then I went to my room. "Time to contact the ghost world." I said. Surprisingly, there was some enthusiasm in my voice.

I sat cross-legged on my bed. I skimmed the book just to make sure I would get this right. I closed the book and tossed it to the side.

I took deep, even breaths and attempted to focus my mind. According to the book, a clear and open mind would call the spirits. So far the presence didn't show up. Just when I was losing hope, I felt the hand on my shoulder.

Next step was to start the conversation very openly, 'let them in' as the book said. "Hello." I tried to sound calm. "I am glad you came." I heard a faint whisper, I couldn't hear what it said. Another step was to start asking questions. 'Questions are spirits favorite things' said the book. "Why are you following me?" I kept my calm and cool tone. I felt the presence move around the room, the hand was still on my shoulder.

No answer. "Why do you control my emotions?" A black shadow appeared at the foot of my bed. "Why do you feed me peace?" I asked.

"When you needed it you got it."

"Why?" Nothing. "Please cooperate."

"You need to cooperate."

"Why? Why do I need to cooperate?" Silence. "Please tell me. Why won't you tell me?"

"You have not shown yourself worthy."

"Worthy? Why do I need to be worthy?"

"So many questions. Not enough answers." And with that the shadow and the hand left. The room felt very empty.

I looked through the book again. I did everything right… But it didn't work. I tried again. This time I was going to try a different approach. The book said to start talking and to start the conversation.

My head had cleared. The hand returned. "I really need to talk to you. I need you. I need your guidance and quite frankly I need your peace."

"Lies."

It was worth a shot.

I sighed and lost my calm. "Listen, I need you to cooperate and talk to me. If you don't I can figure out how to get rid of you and you won't have your fun anymore." Anger rose in me.

"I cannot tell you… I can show you."

"_Show_ me? How so?"

"Do you want me to show you?"

"Tell me how—"

"Do you want me to show you?" It repeated.

"…Yes." I was unsure, but was quickly okay when peace started coursing through me. I collapsed on the bed. I felt amazing. I missed the peace. I closed my eyes.

Just then I sunk into a dream. I was in a cave, an old cave at that. There was Unknown Writing that covered the wall. A pink gem floated into the scene. It started circling around. Then, a huge Pokémon appeared.

It was a purple color with great shadowy wings. It stood on six legs and had two gem-like stones on its chest. It was a legendary, but not one I was familiar with. "Danger…" The mighty voice rang out. "Danger draws near."

"I know." I recognized my presence's voice.

"Arceus' decree has been put to order. You know what you must do."

"I do. I will obey immediately, I do not want it to happen again. Stay safe."

"Same to you." A bright light came from the gem, and the scene changed. I was looking at the statue that was bombed in Eterna Forest. The poem started playing in my head.

_The power of three, united we stand. Whispers in the wind, spots in the sand. _

_ The power of one, united we stand. Come together, only in the Tinkers right hand. _

_ Broken are we because of true power, we come together in only one holy hour. _

_ Broken are we, the power of three._

My eyes shot open and I gasped for breath. "That was weird." I sat up. The black shadow appeared again. "How was that supposed to help me? That didn't make any sense and it sure as Sinnoh didn't tell me why you won't tell me anything." I said, annoyance clear in my voice.

"You will learn more overtime… Danger draws near…" It left just as someone knocked on my door.

"Yes?"

Grandmother stepped in. "Sleep well Granddaughter." She smiled gently.

"Sleep well." I returned a smile. Grandmother closed the door and I laid back down.

_This is going to be harder than I thought…_

* * *

><p><strong>AN. **Well duh stupid Cynthia. Well HELLO everyone. Sorry for the wait, I wanted this out here a few days ago but, to state the obvious, that didn't happen... Okay, so, tell me what you think about this chapter, although I'm sure you will, hehe, I'm happy with how this came out, but the next chapter I'm not so any criticism will go to perfecting the next chapter which is a lot like this one. Oops, hope that didn't ruin anything for you.

Thanks for reading! Shoutout to all who reviewed/followed/favorite!


	25. Vision

_Chapter Twenty-four: Vision_

_Running From Myself_

A few days later I sat in my room, attempting to contact the beloved spirit world. Ever since my last encounter my presence hadn't been… Present. That annoyed me. I hadn't even tried to get rid of the thing and it left, talk about rude.

I sighed and stood up from my bed. "No use, huh." I walked out into the kitchen. Grandmother was coming through the door, she was coming in for lunch.

"Hello." She greeted, her gentleness perfectly portrayed on her face and smile.

"Grandmother," I nodded and smiled. I had eaten late so I started off to the shop to find Jamie.

The past two days was spent solely with Jamie. We visited Ember's parents and talked to them some, they weren't very helpful.

"The day before he left, he was very angry. He was all upset because he hadn't started _his_ journey." Donald, Ember's father, had said. Well that was one guilt-trip. Great.

Since then Jamie and I have shared theories and talked about what we could do. We discovered that we couldn't do anything. He was out in the world and we were back in the normal life.

I walked into the shop. Jamie stood there. "Hey Cyn, ready to go?" We were going to take a walk out of the town's limits and train. Ever since I took her with me training, she loved coming and watching. It was nice to someone to keep my company with my Pokémon.

In the two days I went to the Center and found out what Pokémon the sailor gave to me, it was a Milotic. She was pretty tough, but I was still trying to get her to be quick and actually do something when I command. Jamie found it amusing, I found it irritating.

After a short training session we went back to my house. Grandmother was gone again. We sat on the sofa and turned on the television. Jubilife News was on, they were talking about the 'raid' going on in Canalave City.

"The raid is getting larger and larger," explained the news anchor, "Lea has no comments. Is this what it's coming to? Our own Champion having not one comment?"

"Yes." I said, not caring is Jamie heard me. She knew my hate for Lea. Hate was the wrong word, fear was better.

"We will have more information on the raid later tonight, stay tuned." The logo spun around the screen.

"It's getting worse out there." Jamie said, referring to the raid.

"I know." I muttered. The rebels hadn't tried to contact me, probably for the best. Hilbert may have even told them to shut the whole thing down. If that was so, I didn't have a reason to feel guilty. Even if he didn't I still had no reason to be guilty. _Then why do I feel so guilty? _I thought. Guilt ate at me.

What was going on was attackers were repeatedly bombing places in Canalave. First the research center, then a set of loading docks, then a place reserved in the forest nearby for studying and then the latest, the lighthouse. It wasn't the rebel, I knew for a fact, the bombs used were apparently high-tech. They had to be Lea's.

Unless it wasn't Lea… Then that confused me.

As if she read my mind, Jamie spoke up. "Do you still think Lea is behind this?"

I nodded. "Yes, more than ever since I have left." We hadn't discussed the whole 'quitting' thing yet… I was hoping that I would never have to say it, but I knew I would have to eventually. And it would be awful.

The day went on. Jamie left and I went back to my bedroom, I sat on my bed and cleared my mind. I was going to try to get my presence present.

After a half hour, I began to lose patience. But I felt the hand on my shoulder. I opened my eyes, the black shadow manifested in front of me.

"I'm happy you came." That wasn't a lie, it was relieving for it to return. "Is there more you're going to show me?"

No reply, I was getting anxious. "I really need your cooperation."

"Are you ready for me to show you more?"

I thought for a second. "Yes." Instantly peace flooded into me. I laid on the bed and soaked it up, sleep found me and I slipped into a dream.

The scene was a ballroom. Similar to the one nightmare I had a while ago. I was sitting in a chair, I stood up. This time I had control over my body. I started walking to the middle of the ballroom. Lea and Maroon appeared in front of me. I stopped in my tracks, fear shot through me.

At first I thought it was real, I had to re-convince myself it was a vision.

"Maroon," Lea's voice was professional, not husky like my nightmare, "the time's drawing near."

"Yes, Sir, I know." Maroon cleared his throat. "People are going to die…" His mousy voice was a murmur.

"I don't care!" Lea yelled. "This is what we need. This is what we are going to do." Lea turned around and walked off, he faded away.

Maroon sighed and shook his head. "It's what you want, not what we need…"

Everything went black. The scene changed again. I was watching the statue burn. Ash and smoke filled my nose. The gem glowed brightly right before it collapsed to the ground.

I opened my eyes. I was out of breath again, I gasped and coughed. The shadowy haze appeared. "I still don't understand." I muttered between a cough.

"And you may not ever…" It left the room. I rolled my eyes.

"Why are you always _so_ helpful?"

* * *

><p>The next day I sat on my couch with Thumper lounging beside me. Grandmother was taking a trip to Solaceon to run errands today. She wouldn't be happy about it, she was all about sticking to the laws, as was I before I became a rebel. <em>You're not a rebel anymore! <em>I kept telling myself.

I quickly became bored and walked back into my room. Thumper was on my heels. Once I walked in Thumper squawked and fluttered over to my desk. He sat on it and grabbed one of the stones. I was expecting him to evolve or something, but he didn't. He just stared at it.

"Whatever sinks your ship." I laughed at myself, I picked up on Jamie's lingo.

A few hours passed when Grandmother came home.

"Hello Cynthia." She said when she walked in.

"Hey Grandmother." She went to the kitchen to start on dinner. I approached her. "I was wondering if you would help me with the stones you sent me for my birthday."

She turned towards me and smiled. "Sure thing dear, does this mean you are training?"

Great, I knew what she was getting at. "Yes I have trained a bit, but I am _not_ getting back out there."

"Why not? Try to explain to me." She caressed my face.

"Grandmother, it's hard out there and I am not ready. I am not cut out for it, and I don't want you telling me any differently."

She dropped her hand and her expression softened. "Dear, sometimes—"

I held my hand up. "Please, don't start."

Grandmother sighed. She smiled again. "Just think over everything."

"I have. I am making the right choice."

"Alright. Let us go get your stones."

I walked to my room and got one of the stones and brought it out to her.

"This is a Shiny Stone. It would help your Togetic or Roselia."

"Let me get Togetic." I grabbed Thumpers ball and brought him out. We stepped outside and she handed him the stone.

"Alright little Pokémon, use the stone." She said. The stone lit up and the brightness enclosed Togetic. It was mesmerizing. Right before my eyes he evolved into a Togekiss. A huge Flying Type.

"Wonderful!" I cooed. I walked over to Thumper and patted his head. "You're not sleeping in my bed anymore." I whispered and laughed.

"I bet I could get you another one for your Roselia, let me run to the shop."

Grandmother quickly went to the shop and returned with another Shiny Stone. Roselia evolved into Roserade, a beautiful addition to my team, and I went to train.

Roserade had newly found speed, she still wasn't as fast as Bibarel, but she was certainly getting there. Togekiss had to learn how to use the move Fly; that was an amusing sight to see.

I brought out Milotic. She laid out on the ground. "Come on, use any move!" I yelled. She ignored me. Great, that made two Pokémon who ignored what I said.

I released Gabite, the _other_ Pokémon who wouldn't listen to me. "Dragon Rage." She was being beaten by Bibarel. "Come on!" Bibarel used Rollout, he hit Gabite. She used Dragon Claw but then sat back on her haunches yet again.

I returned Bibarel and walked out to my Snorlax-Gabite. "Do you want to leave? Do you want to run off?" She growled. "I'm not stopping you Gabite, maybe you leaving would be the best thing, you think?"

She roared and jumped up. She glided over my head, I swiftly turned around. She sat on the grass, facing away from me. "Gabite, either listen or leave." A hiss escaped her lips. She didn't move. "_Fine_." I returned her. "You better get your head on straight—" I stopped mid-sentence. Why did she have to get her head on straight? I could release all my Pokémon if I wanted, I wasn't going to battle again anyways.

Of course I didn't do that then, I wanted to release Gabite, but not Roserade, Bibarel or Thumper. Even Spiritomb had a place in my heart. I had gotten over Noctowl and Golduck. Noctowl was gone and Golduck was making someone happy. I hoped, anyways.

I sighed and gave up. I attached Gabite's Pokéball to my belt loop and headed home.

* * *

><p>That night the presence woke me from a nice slumber. It didn't speak, I could just feel it around. "What do you need?" I murmured sleepily.<p>

"Mistakes. Mistakes." The strange whisper filled the night air.

"Yes I get that. Anything else? A vision, maybe?"

"No." The presence left.

"Thank you for waking me up." I said, sarcasm dripping from my tone. Roserade, who slept on my floor, peeked up at me. I could see her faintly in the moonlight streaming in from the window. "It's okay Grass Type, go back to sleep."

I yawned and followed my own advice.

Except it wasn't all that easy.

A nightmare came to me. A nightmare that started out with me in fear.

I was in the mirror room. I looked at myself, I wore a blue ball gown. My hair was a mess and blood covered me, yet I felt no pain.

I looked at the reflection behind me. A bird's body, Noctowl's body, hung upside down. He was headless and covered in blood. I almost vomited at the sight, but the worst sight came next.

Beside the bird was another body. A human body. A man's body.

Ember was hanged by the neck, his eyes open and meeting mine through the reflection. They were glassy and lifeless. I gasped and fell to my knees. I felt like weeping but no tears came from my eyes. "No." I whispered.

Laughter filled the room. Lea appeared beside me. His eyes were blood red and his smile was wicked. "I _love_ it when you get like that." I looked up and met his gaze. He looked less scary through the mirror. He grabbed my face with both his hands. I didn't try to escape. "You're so very pretty. Too bad you have to die." His voice was rough. The kind that made you cringe and scream.

"Why?" I was barely audible.

His laugh rang out. "Because you're in my way, Cynthia Marie Everheart."

With a grin still planted on his face, a sword, dripping in red blood from its past kills, was thrust through my chest and right through my heart.

I sat up in my bed and yelped. Roserade jumped to her feet and readied herself for a command. "It's alright. Just a dream." I smiled and patted the Grass Type's head. It was morning, but I was so exhausted from my dream that I collapsed back on my thin pillow.

_That couldn't have been a vision… Right? _


	26. Thinking

_Chapter Twenty-five: Thinking_

_Running From Myself_

The morning after my horrific nightmare, I sat on the couch feeling sick. I woke up throwing up everything that sat in my stomach. Grandmother offered to stay home and keep me company, but I shooed her away. I wanted to get the presence to come back and give me more clues… At least that's what I thought it was doing by giving me so-called visions.

Unfortunately, sitting at home wasn't helping my illness. There was a two-hour commentary on the raid that was on the television. It was making me sick watching recaps of things exploding and burning and the fact that citizens were scared. Well that last part didn't really make me sick but close.

Worse than that, however, was when the commentary went off and Jubilife News' logo started spinning, the main topic was the raid. Raid, raid, raid. _Is that what everything under the sun is about?!_ I felt a puke coming on. I decided to get out of the house.

I went to the pond and dipped my feet in. I quickly pulled them back out, the water was ice cold. I sighed and laid back on the ground. I started to get relaxed, my mind wondered around easy topics that didn't make me sick, and the presence showed up.

"This is sort of a bad time." I rolled my eyes and sat up. Never said the sprit had good timing.

"Mistakes."

"What's a mistake? Tell me and I'll make it right."

"Figure it out."

Anger burned like a candle inside of me. "No, I need help." I spit through clenched teeth.

No reply. Sinnoh, I hated it when the presence did that. The silent treatment wasn't something I dealt with easily. I could feel the presence around, in the back of my mind I wondered why it lingered. Did it like to watch me? Did it always watch me? I would have _liked_ to ask these questions, but experience told me it wasn't worth it.

After a while the presence didn't leave. "What? Is there something else? Do you want me to fall asleep?" Nothing. "Fine, I'll just carry on without you."

I rolled my eyes, the same grand way I always did, and spread out on the sofa. I finally clicked the television off and shut my eyes. A part of me was hoping I would slip into a vision, but another part knew that it was a long shot.

Just when oblivion was pulling me away, something startled me awake. A few knocks on the door. I sat up. Nobody in this town knocked. Clarice, Jamie, Lilliana and Abe wouldn't knock. That left Donald and Isis… I quickly scrambled to my feet.

Sprinting to the door, a tripped and met the floor. I jumped to my feet and swung the door open.

No, it wasn't Isis or Donald or another Celestic citizen. I froze and I think my face screwed up into confusion.

"Well… I sort of thought you would be happy to see me."

Realizing I was being rude, I shook my head. "Right, sorry." Oh yeah… I didn't care.

"Can I come in?"

_No! _"Yes, sure." I stepped out of the way and let him in. "Grandmother would be happy to see you…"

"Ah yes, it has been far too long. But I'm here to see you, Miss Cynthia." Rowan looked around. "Your grandmother has a nice little place here. Pretty cozy." He smiled. He still looked the same, brown hair and a brown mustache that looked recently trimmed.

"So you are here to see me… What about?" I sat at the table, he joined me.

He cleared his throat and straightened his mustache. "Well, I wanted to talk to you about your training." He didn't seem enthused.

I nodded. "Yes, my training has been going well. Gabite still doesn't listen all the time but she's strong, and—"

Rowan held up his hand to stop me. "Miss Cynthia, I don't want to talk about your Pokémon." He sighed and leaned forward. I knew this as his 'about to give a lecture' pose. "I want to talk about why you've quit. Don't try to tell me you haven't, because you being here proves it. Now why don't you tell me why you quit?"

My eyebrows ruffled together and I crossed my arms over my chest. "Professor Rowan, why are you so nosy? Why can't you keep your nose to yourself? And why in Sinnoh would you march all the way here to question my actions which may or may not be correct?!"

He looked down at his hands. "I feel as if I owe it to Winnie to make sure you pursue training." It seemed like that was a hard thing for him to say. He met my eyes, "and now that I've shared my reasoning, would you share yours?"

"No."

Rowan chuckled. "You're about as stubborn as your Pokémon." He shook his head. "Let me tell you something," he leaned forward again, "I keep tabs with some of the Gym Leaders. Byron, Serina and such. I send letters and receive letters from Byron often, you see, and this is my most favorite letter." He reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out a crinkled piece of paper.

"Dear Professor, today wasn't a good day. The guards beat me and pulled me to the side of the road into a ditch, and my son found me. I normally would have been outraged by this, but I wasn't. At first I didn't know why, but then I remembered perfectly. I met Cynthia in the streets, she had left her Jubilife gang to do Heaven-know-what, but she was in a bind. I helped her out, only under the condition she promise me something. Hope. Signed Byron Fallman." He looked up at me.

Yes, I remember that day… That day when I made a promise that, at the time, I intended to keep. Yes, guilt coursed through me. Yes, sorrow coursed through me. But no, that wasn't enough to get me to change my mind.

"Did you make that promise?" He asked.

"Yes." I answered, barely audible.

"Then why aren't you keeping it?"

"Because, Rowan, as it happens I'm not good enough." My voice rose. "There, I said it. I'm not strong enough, I don't have the draw and pull and I don't want the responsibility!" I yelled. Then realization hit. I said 'I don't want' the responsibility. That wasn't what was in my head.

Rowan's eyebrows rose, as if figuring out something. Great. "Well, I know that last part can't be true… And if it is, let me say this, with the right guidance it won't be hard."

"Maybe, but I still do not have the power."

"That's probably true. You may not be the best, Cynthia, but with work you can get there." He nodded his head like he agreed with himself. "You need to work and get tougher, and you know you can do that because you've made it this far, and most importantly you need to keep your promise. Will you keep this promise?" He stood up and gave me a nod. "You stay here and think, I'm going to the shop. I hear there are cool things there." He smirked and walked to the door. He stopped when he grabbed the handle. "Winnie would have wanted you to do this." He walked out of the house.

I sat at that table for what felt like hours. Thinking, just thinking. My mind was clear, I was calm on my own, and I was thinking rationally. Rowan had left the letter on the table. I read it over and over. I _did_ make a promise.

It wasn't right… This wasn't right… It _was_ a mistake. But I considered everything. Every detail, there wasn't a rock left unturned.

Grandfather would have wanted this. Most likely Mother and Father would have wanted this, Grandmother wanted this, and most importantly… I want it. Something pushed me out of my chair, and it wasn't a ghostly hand, and made me walk out the door.

* * *

><p>I walked through the shop doors. Grandmother and Rowan stood in the front room talking away. She was showing him some artifact and he was looking very interested, that made Grandmother happy.<p>

Rowan noticed me. "Hello again, Miss Cynthia." He smiled.

"Hello Cynthia, this is Professor Jerry Rowan, he used to work with Winnie."

"I know, we have met before." I said. I stepped towards them. "In fact he went to the house before coming here and we had a talk."

"And I asked you a question, is the answer yes?"

I opened my mouth to say yes, but the word was snatched from me. "I don't know."

He cocked his head. "What?"

"I don't know." I repeated with the same amount of enthusiasm.

"What are we talking about?" Grandmother asked.

Rowan turned towards her. "I came to talk Cynthia into getting back into the training game."

"Oh how lovely!" She beamed and touched my shoulder. "Listen to him, he knows what he's talking about." She turned and left the room, I swear I saw her do a little dance.

I shook my head and looked at Rowan. "I want to get out there but..." I paused. "It's _hard._"

"Cynthia, something may seem hard when you look at it like you're looking at it, but look at it another way. Is going to a town and beating a gym hard?" I shook my head. "Right, don't look at it like interviews, Golden Cities and such, just look at it like another gym. Come to Canalave with me."

I froze. "What?"

"I'm going to Canalave to take a boat ride out to one of the islands, your next gym is there. Come with me, we'll travel together, train together then I'll watch you beat your next gym."

"Hey, travelling with _you_ doesn't sound like something that would be fun, and the raid is going on, why would you want to be there?" I didn't want to be there, that meant the rebels would come and expect me to fight with them… Truth was, however, I didn't want to fight. We shouldn't fight.

Rowan, noticing my in-thought look, chuckled. "Are you over thinking it? Just another gym." His face softened. "You know you want to get back in."

I didn't respond. I didn't know if I felt like crying, yelling or laughing. I just left the shop.

Rain had started to beat down. I sprinted through the downpour and all the way home. I busted through the front door and slumped to the couch. I curled up into a ball, ready to cry, but I didn't. No tears came from my eyes.

After a short while I stood from the couch. I walked towards my room but stopped in the hallway. The room next to mine was Grandfathers study. I hesitantly opened the door.

I swear I could smell his old-man cologne, the woody and almost stuffy smell. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust. Including the desk, which looked like someone had just sat in it, minus the dust.

His notepad laid open and angled at the perfect place for writing, his quill still placed in the ink tray like someone was about to pick it up, a few books placed to the side, and his glasses placed right on top of one of the books.

I smiled at the sight. I walked over to the nice chair at his desk and curled up in it. Sorrow washed over me. Again, I didn't cry. I learned to live with loss. Reason being why I wasn't upset with Noctowl, I accepted his death and didn't think much of it.

"I'm not strong enough." I muttered into the cold, empty room. Well, it wasn't empty. There was a wall covered in overflowing book shelves, but it was pretty much empty. Once Grandfather passed, it became empty.

An hour went by. I heard Grandmother come though the front door. I left the study and met her in the living room.

She smiled gently, her somber expression told me that Rowan told her what happened. She didn't say anything though, she knew it wouldn't help. I just gave her a hug in silence then sat at the dining table.

I watched her prepare two salads with my garden greens. She sat a bowl in front of me then sat across the table.

"Grandmother, how was your day?" I decided pretending everything was normal was better than that awkward silence. Shouldn't I have known that normal wasn't normal and very overrated? Yes, probably. But hey, I was a naïve girl who thought she could change the world with weird animal-things, most of which wouldn't even listen to her, a past that came back to haunt her _a lot_, and something else haunting her and possibly worse, so a simple pretending seemed like something she could handle.

"It was fine, dear. Yours?" She seemed to be pulling off the normal act.

"It was alright. I'm not really sick anymore and it's been a _long_ day."

"I would seem to think so. It was nice seeing Rowan again, I am glad he's spending another day here. We really do need to catch up."

"Yes, I agree." I started stuffing salad into my mouth. Now everything felt off. My perfect 'normal' world was falling apart, it became the non-normal and my old fantasy world seemed pretty good. It was confusing. I used to be able to just _do_ something, the best example being leaving home on a huge journey without hardly thinking about it, and now I just sit around doing nothing and it feels wrong.

_Why does everything have to be so hard?_

* * *

><p>That night I laid awake in bed. I was so unsure and so confused. I wanted two things, the normal and the fantasy. The problem was I didn't know which was which. Was fantasy in Celestic? Was normal training and battling? Who really knew? Not me.<p>

Roserade was taking up most of my bed. She had me almost falling off. She didn't sleep small, that was certain. Togekiss was curled up on the floor, he wanted to get in the bed but I told him he couldn't. That sort of made him sad.

Bibarel curled up under my desk, he hardly fit but made it work. I liked my Pokémon's company, especially when I tried to sleep. Tried was the key word there.

I rolled over on my side and tried to get comfortable. That didn't work.

Truth be told, I knew why I couldn't sleep. I knew the presence was right, that was a mistake. I needed to keep my promise. _Needed_ to.

Okay yes… That made Rowan right too. Sinnoh, I wish he wasn't right. Oh well, he would never have to know that… Even though, Rowan being Rowan, would probably know.

I sat up. I knew this wasn't right. I needed to get out there. I needed to fix my mistake. I was running from fear, I shouldn't run from my fears, I should embrace them. I was running from my calling and something I love.

But most importantly, I was running from myself.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: So apparently I've lost a reader? Akeyaranu, if you're able to read this, you will be sincerely missed! Sincerely! I said sincerely twice.

Anyways, chapter twenty-five! Let me tell you all, it's about to get fun. Really fun. Super fun, as the young folk say. Excited? I think so! What do YOU think is going to happen? Leave a nice little review telling me! I love hearing your theories, it reminds me how dumb you are. Just kidding, totally kidding. Not really. Yes I am, that was a lie. No it wasn't. The cake is a lie.

Sorry for that. You're not dumb.

If you go look on my profile, you'll see a magical link to my magical blog. Click on it and you will be magically hugged by your imaginary friend. Seriously, I don't lie. Yes I do. Sometimes. Only on Wednesdays... And every other Monday.

*OH. Sorry if I'm late and most of you have already read this chapter, if that is so... I'll say this again next Authors Note: chapter thirteen is the only chapter with zero reviews... Anyone want to go back and review it for fun?

Thanks for reading guys.


	27. Flying

_Chapter Twenty-six: Flying_

_Running From Myself_

I shut one of the top drawers of my dresser and faced my bed. It was currently covered in clothes among clothes and toiletries galore. The joys of packing, it could bring tears to your eyes. Either out of happiness, sorrow or frustration. Mine was the latter.

I had added warmer clothes to the mix because I knew it wouldn't be long until I was in Snowpoint. So a scarf, thick socks, long-sleeves and such sprinkled my black bag. In one swift motion it was zipped up. Lastly, I grabbed my Pokémon and stuffed them in the handy side pocket next to my wrinkled map. I looked around the room; leaving again. I turned around and looked at my desk.

My parents picture faced me, they smiled happily at me. I smiled back. I grabbed the silver frame and popped open the back, the old photo fell out into my palm. I situated it in the pocket, in the psychic energy book, and sighed. It wasn't a sigh out of aggravation, it was a content sigh. For once I had no bad emotions surging through me, it was great feeling at peace by yourself.

Speaking of my peace-giver, it decided that it didn't want to hang around me recently. And frankly I didn't want it around. It gave confusion more than peace, and that's not what I needed nor wanted.

A knock at the door startled me out of my thoughts. I reached over and opened the door, Jamie walked in. Sadness covered her face. She tried a smile, I saw through it. I gave her a hug. "I'll be back soon." I said.

She stepped back. "I hope so." She murmured. "Now I don't have any best friends around. Embers out, you're out, who do I have left? Clarice? I would rather be stuck with a duck then her!"

I laughed. "She's not that bad, Jamie."

"I know." She sighed and sat on my bed. "I'm going to miss you _so much_! You have to become the champion."

"Why do I have to become the champion? Then you'll never see me."

"Because then I can say 'Hey, you know Champion Cynthia? Yeah, I had something to do with that.' And I would feel better."

We both laughed then hugged again. I did sympathize with her, her and her mother didn't get along and she wasn't close with her grandparents like I was with mine. Still, I actually felt like I was doing the best thing. I couldn't lose that.

With my bag slung over my shoulder, I walked out into the living room. Rowan and Grandmother sat at the table talking. "Are you ready?" Rowan asked.

I nodded but stayed silent. I gave Grandmother a hug, no words were exchanged. I knew she loved me, she knew I loved her, and it hurt too much to say goodbye _again._ This time I felt a tear on my shoulder. I knew it was harder for her. I patted her back and pulled away. She met my eyes, they were wet but she held the tears back well.

Jamie hugged me again. "Bye Cyn, be the best."

"I will." I said.

With that, Rowan and I left the house. It was hard. A part of my wanted to turn around and stay forever, but I knew what I had to do.

"Alright Miss Cynthia, let's go." He let out Champ, I let out Togekiss. "Get on the Pokémon like this," he demonstrated by swinging his leg over Champ and sitting on his back. The Staraptor situated himself then readied to glide into the air. "Your turn."

I faced my Pokémon. "Okay." Togekiss gave me a weird look. I inched towards him. I quickly flung my leg into the air and over his body. He screeched and knocked me to the ground with his great wing. He cocked his head and looked down at me. I knew he was saying 'Hey, what are you? Stupid?' to me.

Rowan pulled me up off the ground. "Try to do it without falling this time."

I rolled my eyes. "He knocked me."

"_Right._"

I scoffed and turned to Thumper again. "Come on now, this isn't supposed to be hard. Just stand still for me." I reached out and grabbed his lose neck skin. I stroked his back. "Stay still." I cooed. I swung my leg over his body and planted my haunches on his back.

Thankfully, I was holding on to his neck because then he shot into the air. I gripped tighter and leaned forward. "Stop! Stop! Stop!" I screamed. Togekiss dashed straight up, I started slipping off his back. Then he flew upside-down and my hands slipped right off his neck.

I started falling down, no screams came from my throat. Then, I landed harshly on something. Champ had swooped to my rescue. He glided down to the ground and Rowan helped me off. Togekiss landed beside me and started angrily cawing at me. His features showed anger.

Rowan laughed. "I think someone's upset." He walked to the Flying Type and held his head. "Cynthia, get on."

I was hesitant but listened. Once again I planted myself on his back and grabbed his neck.

"Okay, loosen your grip. I can tell by Togekiss you're too tight." He instructed. I did as he said. "Only tighten your grip when you want him to go faster, and steer him that way. If you want, simple commands can work too. When you want him to land, pull back gently. If you yank backwards most likely he'll just come to a complete stop and you'll lose balance and fall."

"How do I keep my balance?" I asked.

"Simple, let your Pokémon worry about that. They know what they're doing, you just stay seated. It will take some practice to master flying, but it's not impossible."

I nodded. He let go of Togekiss' head. Luckily he didn't take off. "Remember, simple commands is just as good as anything else." I nodded.

"Togekiss," I said calmly, "let's fly." He shot into the sky. I grasped his neck, he cawed and reminded me to loosen up. As soon as I did, he evened out and started flying slowly. Rowan and Champ flew up next to me.

"Best feeling in the world, isn't it?" Rowan said. I looked at him, he had Champ's feathers in his hands and sat on the Pokémon back. He looked completely balanced and safe, yet how was that possible?

I looked at my hands. They were shaking. I was hardly supported. "N—No." I muttered.

He laughed. "You'll get used to it. Whenever you're ready to increase the speed, just give Togekiss a little kick with your heel. But we can't go this speed the whole way, we'll never make it."

I nodded and focused ahead of me. Fog filled the skies. I sure hoped Rowan knew where he was going. I looked to my right, I could see Cornet poke out of the white sheets. It really was a wonderful sight to see, even though it was scary, it also was invigorating. It was awesome.

Togekiss jerked quickly. I refocused ahead. We started flying over parts of Cornet.

"He'll learn to fly smoothly, don't worry." Rowan reassured. I nodded and hoped he was right...Again.

We continued on towards our destination, and my life.

* * *

><p>Flying over the Golden Cities was amazing, the tall buildings and all the people was really something to see. We stopped in at Sandgem so Rowan could grab a few things. I waited on the beach, soaking up the sun and laying in the sand, watching Togekiss and Champ fly around the heavens. I swear I saw Champ teaching Togekiss, it was wonderful.<p>

Once we started flying over the see towards Canalave, I became nervous for more reasons than one. First of all, I still wasn't a fan of flying and neither was Togekiss, (Well, someone using him as a seat was what he didn't like.) I also was still hesitant about battling again, and the fact the raid was going on wasn't making it easier. If I was in Canalave would the rebels expect me to do something? Were they already there? Were the rebels nonexistent? Was Lea in Canalave? Were my presence's visions correct? What did they mean?

So many questions.

When I would get there I would start training. I needed to get my Pokémon back in shape and ready to fight. They needed to be one-hundred-and-ten percent perfect for this battle. I couldn't come out and lose, then I would, as Blake said, crawl back under my rock.

I shivered. Not only because of the cold air but because of Blake's conversation. _I wonder what he would think once I start battling again. _I thought. I only stayed on the subject for a second before thinking about Lea. According to my vision, he wants something pretty bad. Whether that's correct or not is the question. I wished my sprit friend, or foe, would have told me more, but it wasn't a fan of communication.

Thinking back to the statue and the poem, 'Whispers in the wind' was accurate to my… Issue. At least at first, now it's not afraid to talk and half-manifest in front of me. And even control my emotions and, like that one time at the dinner, take control of my body. It forced me to eat Pokémon meat… Did that mean it wasn't Pokémon?

Everything was becoming confusing. Thankfully I brought the psychic book with me, it started to scare me. It was probably best I try to get rid of the thing once and for all. Maybe even brush up on psychic's in the Canalave library.

I briefly thought about asking Rowan, but decided against it. Not only did I not trust him enough for that, I also thought he would think I was crazy and possessed, which was probably true, I thought that since he was hardly a professor in my mind I shouldn't waste my time.

It was probably bad that I felt that way towards him, but I had him pictured differently and I couldn't accept that he wasn't who I thought.

In the distance I saw land. "Is that it?" I asked Rowan, who was still right beside me.

"Yes that's it, we should probably start getting close to the ground. We don't want mean people to see us flying in." I knew what he meant, the attackers. Oh, how much the so-called _professor_ didn't know.

Togekiss followed Champ's lead by getting down close the sea's surface. Sometimes water would splash up and hit us. It was another awesome thing.

We landed almost perfectly on the dry land. I got off my Pokémon and returned him. I turned around, a wall of trees stood in front of us.

"We have to go through this before we reach the city." Rowan explained.

"Great, a secluded area where attackers and attacking." Sarcasm dripped in my voice.

"Don't worry, it's not that far of a walk." He patted my shoulder and started to lead me forward.

* * *

><p>We reached the city shortly. It was odd. The ground was covered in gray and white bricks, not pavement like over cities. I saw the Mart and Center placed in front of me, houses off to the left, and to the right were building that looked like shops and the lighthouse and research center which were under construction. I saw water off to the distance, but this wasn't a beach town.<p>

If you walked towards the water, you would be stopped by a fence. The land stopped and it was a rocky road down to the bottom. Fish scent filled the air and I heard yelling in the distance. "Do you hear that?" I asked Rowan.

"Yes, it's coming from the docks." He pointed. Passed the building in front of us and on the far side of the water was more land and a large set of boating docks.

"Well how do we get there?" I asked.

"We cross the bridge." He pointed to the huge wooden bridge that connected the city together. We walked to the bridge and crossed it.

Getting a closer look at the docks, I noticed that there used to be another set next to the existing one. One of the things blown off by a bomb. The yelling was of sailor unloading crates. People gathered around one of the sailor, he was yelling at them.

"No! We aren't making a trip out to the island! Leave us alone!" He bellowed.

"Why do they want to go to an island?"

"There's a rumor going around that the reason the attackers are raiding here is because one of the islands has a lot of gold."

"Is it just a rumor?" I asked.

"That's what I'm here to figure out."

"How are you getting to the island?"

"I know a guy." He looked at me. "Want to get settled in the Center?"

I nodded. We walked back to the Center.

We healed our Flying Types and put our stuff in out rooms, then I set out to the forest, unfortunately accompanied by Professor Quacks-Too-Much, to train. I was ready to get back into the game, I was ready to face my fears.

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Note: <strong>I must admit, I'm not happy with how this chapter came out. I'm in a rush to post this so there was hardly any editing, my apologies for that, the next chapter isn't written yet, but later today I'll get to writing. Writers block is not fun, especially when there's inner turmoil with your story. So, I'll see you soon... Thanks for reading.


	28. Analyzed

_Chapter Twenty-seven: Analyzed_

_Running From Myself_

I felt something hit me. I started to come out of my slumber. I was hit again. I sat up and my eyes shot open. Roserade decided to hit me with a pillow a few times. I laughed and patted her head. "Gym day today." I told her.

She hit me with the pillow again. I rolled off the bed and started to get ready. I showered, got dressed and headed down to the lobby. I went to the dining room and to the breakfast table. There was something that looked quite odd, yet appetizing. I scooped the goopy stuff on a plate and found a small table.

Hesitantly, I scooped some of the stuff with my spoon and brought it to my mouth. It was actually very good, I enjoyed it.

Rowan walked up beside my table and looked at my food. "Enjoying that?" He asked. I nodded, my mouth was full of the goop. "Well, I never pictured you as a…" he started chuckling, "a Goldeen liker."

I stopped chewing and eating. My face turned green and I spit the food onto my plate. "Gross!" I yelled.

He laughed. "Still vegetarian, I see."

"Of course." I pushed the plate away. I walked back to the breakfast table, nothing looked safe, I settled for regular buttered bread. It was pretty good, butter was something that was as expensive as honey, so we always got honey instead of butter; it was a nice change.

Rowan got himself some bread as well and we ate in silence. "Miss Cynthia, are you going to challenge the gym today?"

Little Butterfree fluttered into my stomach. "I guess so." I said with as much confidence as I could.

Rowan 'humfed' and didn't say anything. "What?" I asked.

"Oh, I just thought you would have more…Zeal about you. Not 'guessing' about this."

I scoffed. "I am so sorry."

He mashed his lips together and gave me a long look. "Do you want to challenge this gym?"

"Yes." That wasn't my lying skills at its best.

"Do you want to win?"

"Yes?"

"Do you want to excel, and take this to a serious level?"

"I want to, really, but I'm not confident in myself." I said.

"I see." He thought for a moment, "it's just another gym. You shouldn't be so frightened. Train a bit more, then you'll see how ready you and your Pokémon are."

I nodded. "I will."

* * *

><p>Training went well. Milotic got into the flow of things, Roserade improved her speed, (Although she isn't as fast as Bibarel) Gabite put in some effort, and Togekiss was still working on the move Fly. Spiritomb pretty much stayed the same, not as if she was terrible just no improvement.<p>

The gym leader was a Steel Type trainer, therefore I was worried that my Pokémon wouldn't be good against him. Milotic and Bibarel would be vital. Roserade would be a backup along with Gabite. Togekiss wasn't quite ready to start battling, he had battles with Roserade and did well, but not ready for a gym. As for Spiritomb, she will sit out and come in if need be.

That was as far as I went with a strategy. I decided to try to double-hit as much as possible, be quick with commands, and be smart with commands. Easier said than done.

Gabite, although she put in _some _effort, still didn't match what was needed. I approached her. "Gabite, you really need to cooperate." My tone was calm. She didn't reply. "I need you, if you want to continue battling, you need to listen." She blinked. _Is she really listening? _I smiled at her. "Let's do this." I returned her.

I walked back to my room in the Center and relaxed. I let out Roserade and Togekiss to keep me company. I patted Togekiss' head. "Today's an important day, Thumper."

A half an hour went by, then someone knocked on my door. "Miss Cynthia?" I heard Rowan.

I returned my Pokémon and opened the door. "Yes?"

"Are you ready to get this show on the road?" Rowan asked. You could almost see the enthusiasm he carried.

I nodded. "Yes, let's go." For this first time, I meant that.

* * *

><p>Rowan and I walked to the gym next to the docks. It was steel-plated, a symbol of the Steel Type leader. We walked through the steel doors. Everything was shiny steel, the room echoed when you walked. There to greet us was, what I suspected, the leader.<p>

He wore black pants, matching shirt, large work-boots, and a silver—steel colored—cape. He grinned nice and big, not like Blake, and had heavy gray stubble and matching messy, unkempt hair. He had his legs spread apart and his hands on his hips.

"I am Captain Steel!" He bellowed, his voice echoing around. "You are Cynthia! We should battle!"

"That's why I'm here." I said.

"I see that! I have waited for this moment for a _long time_!" The way be yelled made it hard to see him as friendly, but I could tell he wasn't creepy like Blake, awkward weird like Rhy, young with power like Fantina, full of himself like Serina, and then super sarcastic like Byron.

"Let's battle and not waste time! You stand on this end," he pointed to the closest end, "and I'll stand at the other!"

"Okay." I said, a little befuddled. I walked to my end as he jogged to his. Rowan approached me.

"Alright Miss Cynthia, be smart. He may not seem like a tough competitor, but he _is_ gym number six, after all. He has four good Pokémon, they all have weak spots, find them and concur them. Don't lose patience, don't lose hope." He put his hand on my shoulder. "You _can_ do this." He nodded, and I nodded back.

Rowan stepped off the field. It was time.

Captain Steel released his first Pokémon. "Forretress, go!" A weird clam-like Pokémon, colored red and purple, came out.

_Okay, let's try Bibarel. _"Bibarel, fight for me!" Bibarel came out and got into the battle stance. He hissed.

"Take Down, my Pokémon!" Captain yelled. His Pokémon turned a red color and shot to Bibarel. He collided with him, they fell to the ground. Bibarel growled and kicked Forretress off of him. Forretess landed harshly on the ground. The steel plates rang out and echoed throughout the room, piercing my ears.

"Hyper Fang." I commanded. Bibarel jumped to the fallen Pokémon. He opened his mouth wide and jabbed his teeth into the foe. Forretress moaned but didn't seem to take much damage. Bibarel jumped backwards and waited.

"Payback!" The rival rolled to my Pokémon and slammed into him. Bibarel was pushed backwards and landed hard on his side. He jumped back up and looked at me, ready for a command.

"Take Down." Bibarel sprinted to the opponent. He ran into Forretress and sent him rolling into the far wall. I grinned, that was a good hit.

"Iron Defense!" The rival closed his eyes and focused. His body was covered in a shiny steel coating. _Great! _

I kept my cool. "Bibarel, use Rollout." My Pokémon rolled to the foe, he slammed into him. Nothing happened. Forretress changed back to his normal state in less than a second.

"Payback!" The foe jumped up and landed on Bibarel. He fell to the ground. Forretress sat on his back. Bibarel whined then growled. He quickly stood up, the rival lost his balance and clashed to the ground.

"Water Gun." I yelled. Bibarel shot water at Forretress, the foe rolled away and tried to escape.

"Take Down!" Captain Steel shouted. His Pokémon obeyed.

"Dodge!" I shrieked. Bibarel attempted to jump out of the way, but took a good hit. He flew across the room, past me, and to the wall. He fell to the ground.

His eyes opened and he looked at me. He stood up, legs shaking, body trembling, and was ready for a command. "Rollout." He rolled to the foe and hit him once, the clam-like Pokémon was pushed across the room but stomped himself before hitting the way. Bibarel rolled to him again and hit him for the second, and last, time. The foe rolled to the wall and hit it.

This time, it didn't move again. I grinned and looked at Bibarel, he was fainting. I returned him. "Great job buddy." I murmured to the Pokéball.

"What a Pokémon!" Captain Steel yelled.

I nodded. "Yours, too."

Captain released his next Pokémon. "Go Bronzong!" A big blue, mechanical Pokémon materialized from the Pokéball.

"Milotic, do well." The huge, snake-like Water Type came out. She was a tan-pink color with long red fins on her head and matching whiskers, towards the end of her body she had blue and red scales leading to a blue fin. She looked very regal, which she was.

"Extrasensory!" The foe focused on my Pokémon. She began to cry out in pain as she disappeared and reappeared rapidly. She was practically being tortured.

"Milotic, fight it!" I could see Milotic trying to fight it. She stayed very still. She stopped disappearing as much and soon stopped completely. "Great job, now use Aqua Tail." Milotic's scaly tail morphed into a clear, watery tail. She slammed it onto the robotic Pokémon. The Pokémon hit the floor, but oddly bounced back up to its floating position.

"Gyro Ball!" Bronzong began to spin rapidly. Silver-colored waves spun around him. He zoomed to my Pokémon and slammed into her. Milotic's huge body fell to the ground. She groaned and composed herself.

"Hydro Pump." I called. Milotic spewed gallons of water on the opponent. It was forcefully pushed back, but quickly started to fight the stream of water. I couldn't tell if it took much damage.

"Extrasensory!" Captain bellowed. Milotic became hazy and started crying out.

"Fight it!" I yelled. But Milotic was too weak. After a moment the move stopped. You could see that most of my Pokémon's energy was drained.

"Confuse Ray!" _What! _Captain Steel was double-hitting me. Bronzong looked at Milotic, and then she tumbled to the ground. She started twitching. _Fantastic! Just simply fantastic! _I thought.

"Twister!" I tried. Milotic was too confused. I returned her. _Okay, time for a backup. _"Roserade, beat the rival for me." My Grass Type came out and twirled around. I always rolled my eyes at that.

"Gyro Ball!" Bronzong spun around, then glided across the field to Roserade and slammed into her. She fell backwards but quickly got up.

"Magical Leaf." I commanded. Leaves of many colors appeared and spun around her. They danced in waves. More and more appeared until you couldn't see Roserade. They all as one majestically shot to the foe and collided with it. That was something that was much more powerful then Magical Leaf, Roserade had learned Petal Dance.

Bronzong fell to the ground. With one last battle cry the foe fainted.

I smiled, two gone, two to go.

"Roserade is a beautiful Pokémon, I have to admit I didn't see that power coming!" Captain Steel yelled. He returned his Pokémon and got another. "Empoleon, go!" A big, blue penguin-like Pokémon came out. He stood tall and looked tough. He had spikes and horns sprinkles over his body.

"Metal Claw!" Captain shouted. Empoleon's flipper coated over in metal and he ran to my Pokémon. He sliced a red line across Roserade's chest.

"Petal Dance." I commanded. Roserade called all the colorful leaves. They started spinning around her. Then, they slammed into the rival and left little scars. Empoleon cried out.

"Bubblebeam!" Empoleon shot a row of bubbles at my Pokémon. They pushed her backwards. She tried to fight them, but she fell to the ground. She leapt up.

"Giga Drain." I yelled. Roserade focused. Empoleon yelped and crashed to the ground. Roserade breathed in the energy she stole from the foe and looked satisfied. "Toxic." I tried to double-hit. Roserade sprinted to the rival. Her left hand, or flower bouquet, became covered in purple ooze. She punched the Pokémon hard. Nothing happened. I swore under my breath.

"Brine!" Water emitted harshly from the opponents mouth and smashed into Roserade. "Peck!" _Oops._ Empoleon met my Pokémon and jabbed his beak into her head. She was pushed to the ground.

"Use Giga Drain!" Almost instantly, Empoleon slumped to the ground in pain. But as quickly as it started it ended. Roserade was getting tired. "Petal Dance." Roserade didn't listen. She lay on the ground, too tired to get up.

"Peck again!" Empoleon used Peck. Roserade didn't defend herself in any way; she was down for the count.

I returned her. I was losing hope quickly. "Gabite, defeat Empoleon." I released her. She came out in the battle stance, which gave me some hope.

"Bubblebeam!" Empoleon shot bubbles at Gabite. She was pushed back. She tried to shield herself with her arms, but that didn't help. She took a hit.

"Dragon Claw." I commanded. Gabite rushed towards Empoleon. She slammed into him, using Take Down, her favorite move. I smacked my head. _This isn't good. _

Empoleon and Gabite both stood up. "Metal Claw!" Empoleon sliced Gabite's arm. She roared and used Dragoon Claw, slicing his wing. _Such children. _"Brine!" Empoleon used Brine. Gabite flew across the room and landed next to me.

"You're going to listen." I hissed at the Pokémon. She returned the hiss. _Do not lose patience. _I heard. I was so engrossed, I didn't realize the presence returned.

_You have such bad timing. _I thought.

_Danger draws near. _

_Please, tell me about it later. _

_Danger draws near. Danger. _

I scoffed and decided not to have a conversation with the fiend. "Gabite, use Dragon Rage." Gabite spewed sand. It started spinning around Empoleon. Captain Steel noticed Gabite's defying attitude. It was embarrassing.

"Brine!" The water went right through the wall of sand and collided with Gabite. She fell to the ground hard, it was a critical hit. She stood up slowly.

I wanted to call Take Down, because that's what she would listen to, but since Take Down takes away some health points of my Pokémon as well as the foe, it would make her faint. "Dragon Rage." I tried. She started running to the rival. I knew she wasn't going to use Dragon Rage, she was going to use Take Down. She ran through the sandstorm, cringing as she did, and tackled Empoleon.

They both fell to the ground. Gabite fainted instantly, Empoleon was the next to go. I had Spiritomb and Togekiss left, Captain had one Pokémon left.

I called out Spiritomb. "Win the battle for me!"

"Lucario, go!" A tall, blue and black, bipedal dog-like Pokémon.

"Spiritomb, use Ominous Wind." I commanded. Spiritomb shrieked and slumped into a puddle. "Spiritomb?" Then I remembered. Spiritomb always became frightened when my presence was around. Great.

"Metal Claw!" Captain called. Lucario sprinted to my melted Pokémon. His claws over coated in metal and he scratched her hazy form. She shrieked. Her ghostly shriek echoed over the room.

"Sucker Punch." I yelled. Nothing. I rolled my eyes. _Please leave! You're costing me the battle!_ I thought.

_Danger. _I heard.

_I don't care, leave! _The presence stayed. Lovely.

"Metal Claw!" Lucario used Metal Claw again. My Pokémon shrieked.

"Do something! Anything!" I yelled. My Pokémon disappeared. I got excited. Then she reappeared, still a puddle, a few inches away from her original place. "Good job." I rolled my eyes.

"Your Pokémon is frightened!" Captain Steel said.

"Yes she is…"

"Lucario, use Bone Rush!" Lucario looked at his hand, a hazy bone appeared. He hit Spiritomb three times in a row. She cried out, then morphed into her normal state. Her eyes and mouth weren't on her body, she had fainted.

I returned her and released Thumper. "Togekiss, fight hard."

"Lucario, use Close Combat!" Lucario met Thumper and started wailing punches. He fell to the ground and cried out.

"Use Fly." I commanded. Togekiss flew into the air. Then, he shot downward and collided with Lucario. He fell to the ground.

Lucario jumped back up. "Metal Claw!" Captain bellowed. Lucario's claws turned metal. He sprinted to my Flying Type and scratched his wing, leaving a red blood line.

Thumper cawed and cried. He didn't have much left. "Magical Leaf." Togekiss made a few leaves appear then they hit Lucario. He didn't look very affected.

"Bone Rush!" Lucario made his psychic bone appear and he hit Thumper four times. Togekiss tried to hold on, but couldn't. I returned him.

I still had Milotic left. She probably only had a hit left in her. I brought her out. "Milotic, win!"

"Lucario, Close Combat!" Lucario sprinted to my Pokémon and punched her _hard_. She was pushed backwards.

"Aqua Tail." I commanded. Milotic didn't listen. "Why aren't _you_ listening?!"

"Aura Sphere!" Captain yelled. Lucario extended his paw. A blue ball formed and shot at Milotic. It hit her and she fell to the ground, no hope of recovery.

I had lost. I had lost. I had lost. That's what ran around my mind. It was unreal.

I felt my presence go away. Captain Steel walked across the field, I met him in the middle.

"I am the victor!" He yelled. "You played well, Cynthia! You are a good opponent! I can't wait for our next battle!" He grinned.

I smiled. "Then I'll beat you." I handed him my last bit of money.

He chuckled. "That might just happen! I am Captain Steel, and I am the winner!" He twirled around, his cape flowing out.

"Congratulation." Rowan said. "Miss Cynthia, we should be going."

I gave him a weird look, he didn't control where I went. But frankly, I didn't want to stand there and talk to Captain Steel any longer. So I nodded. "I'll be seeing you." I told Captain. We left the gym and headed for the Center.

I did _not_ want to talk. I was on the verge of tears, either out of sorrow or anger, and I didn't want Rowan to make it worse. But, it's Rowan, it's his thing.

"I think where you went wrong—"

"Just stop. I don't want to talk to you about it." I snapped.

"Miss Cynthia, your loss wasn't all because you're not powerful. Three of your Pokémon wouldn't listen to you and one isn't tough enough to battle, anyone would lose at those odds." He had a point. If the presence didn't show up, Spiritomb would have obeyed and beat the rival, and if Gabite and Milotic had listened to me, I would have won with Pokémon to spare.

We made it to the Center. I turned to Rowan. "It may have been for that reason, but I lost again after _you _forced me out here. I didn't want to come!"

"You didn't? You made the decision, Miss Cynthia. If you really didn't want to come out here, you wouldn't have learned how to fly. You would have said no then. But you wanted to come, I know that and you know that. Don't deny it."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. You can just get on your little boat and leave me _alone_, I don't want to see you again." I started to walk off.

"Alright, I'll see you later." Rowan called.

* * *

><p>The next morning came all too quickly. The rest of the day before was spent in my Center room, thinking over my battle. I didn't have a breakdown, I handled it quite well. I would train hard and then retry.<p>

But I made a decision…I would get rid of my spirit so it wouldn't intervene. Therefore a trip to Canalave Library was in order.

I got out of bed and had a quick shower. I quickly learned the tap water was salty, that was a…Surprise. I raked through my hair, got some bread for breakfast, and then headed for the library.

Once I got out of the Center, something surprised me. A huge group of guards stood nearby. _Probably sent here for a big bombing mission for Lea. _I thought. _Either that, or here to find the rebels. _I watched them all separate into smaller groups and disperse in different directions. One going into the woods, one going across the bridge, and one staying put.

I started for the library, a little worried as to why they were all here, but quickly put the thoughts to rest. I was thinking of my spirit buddy. According to one of the books I looked at in Celestic, Ghost Pokémon rarely 'possess' you, and if they do it's not for a long time. So that ruled out Ghost Types. Because I own one of the worst Ghost Type's and she cowers whenever my friend is around, I knew I was dealing with something a bit bigger…And more dangerous.

This scared me. Especially the part where, one time, it forced me to do something and took control over my body. And it manifests in front of me now, and it gives me visions, and everything else…It was scary. Dealing with the psychic world was intimidating.

I walked up to the grand building. It was a few stories tall and looked pretty old. This would be the place to look.

Entering the library, I noticed all the hundreds of grand bookshelves overflowing with literature. My grandparents would have loved this place. I walked to the desk nearby where a few older ladies worked. "Excuse me," I said, "could you point me in the direction of, I don't know, Psychic Types and psychic books?" I tried to sound friendly.

Two of the ladies gave each other weird looks. "Honey that would be on the top floor I suppose." One said, looking at me funny.

"Thank you." I muttered. I walked up the flights of stairs and to the top of the library. The top floor was a small section, only held a table and a few bookshelves. The far side of the room looked over onto the floor below, and past that you could see the sea through the huge windows.

_Alright, this ends now_. I thought, hoping my presence could hear me. I started looking over the bookshelves. It took some time, but I finally came across a Psychic Type book, a psychic energy book and some old book with the words 'Psychics Decoded' etched on the front. Worth a peek. I looked longer and found a few more books about Psychic Types, I was in for a long day.

I sat at the table and grabbed one of the Psychic Pokémon books. Thumbing through it, I noticed it gave a paragraph description of each Psychic Type in existence. I read a few of the Psychics I wasn't familiar with, but after a minute I knew this wasn't going to help.

Another book was actually really cool and quite helpful. But in the skimming I did there was nothing about possessions. Then, another one of the books had a chapter on 'the other world.' That was scary. It talked about the afterlife and ghost and the ties it has with psychics and Psychic Types. Then it went on to talk about possessions.

It said that only strong Psychics can make a strong enough connection with a human. Normally what happens is that Pokémon uses the human, or other Pokémon, for something like food. Only in some cases has a Psychic Type harmed a person in any way or controlled them to harsh extensions, and it has been a very powerful Pokémon doing this. Psychics are not to be taken for granted, they're smart and shouldn't be played around with.

Okay, that scared me. I was, most likely, dealing with a tough Psychic Type, a _very_ tough Psychic Type. I read on, the last bit of the chapter was talking about 'Psychic safety' and didn't mention anything about ridding them.

I sighed and pushed the book aside. I went through the other Psychic Type books. They were similar to the other two. Not helpful. Even the old decoding book was a waste of time. Nothing on how to rid the fiend. I grabbed my spirit book that I got in Celestic and looked at it again.

It said things along the line of communication, so maybe that's all it took. A good, stern 'Go away' and maybe it would leave. It was worth a shot.

I cleared my mind. It only took a second when the hand laid on my shoulder. "Hi." I whispered. "I'm done with your games. You're using me and I don't like it. I want you to leave."

"Danger." It whispered.

"I don't care. You're the danger here. Goodbye." The black shadow manifested in front of me. "I don't want you around anymore. You scare me and you're no good. Leave. Go away!" The shadow and the hand left. I felt everything leave. I smiled. "And don't ever come back." I added. For some reason, I was proud of myself. I would start ignoring my spirit, it would get bored and leave for good. That was what I wanted.

Just then, I heard something odd. Talking. Not like talking was that odd, but I recognized the voices. I looked to my right, towards the far wall. I stood up and walked over to the wooden railing, separating me from falling to the floor underneath. I looked down. I saw a table with a group sitting there.

Tag, Kedah, Brush, Carrick, Ellena and others all sat at the table. I slapped my hand to my mouth and took a few steps back. _They_ were causing all this damage in Canalave?! That didn't even make sense. They wouldn't, or couldn't do that. And I thought I was a part of the rebels, why wasn't I invited?

Then realization hit. What if they learned of my battle somehow and came here to find me and set out on another journey?

Then that really confused me. _What could I say? No, I can't I don't want to anymore? Whoops, sorry I resign? I can't do that! _I was in a bind. I inched back to the gate and listened.

"A ton of people are going to go there though!" Someone said. "It's dangerous!"

"No," I recognized Brush's super deep voice, "it's not that dangerous. We're going to be the only people there, the sailors aren't letting regulars out there."

"Then what's the point of going?"

"The point is to get Lea's people out of there. They're the only ones out there right now, Sinnoh knows what they're doing." Ellena said.

"What could they be doing that's so bad?!"

"Hilbert is worried about him hunting something there. We need to be there soon." Ellena explained.

I moved to the rail and leaned on it, looking over at the group.

"It still doesn't make sense though! We're going to play this stupid game forever and we'll never win or lose!" Some girl who I didn't recognize said.

"We _will_ win at the right time." Kedah said. "So shut your trap and stop whining, we're professionals!"

"Kedah!" Ellena snapped.

"Oh right, I'm supposed to play nice with the other children." She mused. "Well I think—"

I heard a cracking noise. Suddenly, the wooden railing broke and fell forward…And I fell with it.

I landed on my back, right in the middle of the table. Pain shot through me, I swore quietly.

"Cynthia?" I looked around. All eyes peered down at me.

"Hello." I muttered.

Brush helped me to my feet. "Are you okay? What just happened? Why are you here?"

I didn't think there was a need to lie, so I told the truth. "I was upstairs reading when I heard you all, so I eavesdropped and leaned against the rail and…" I looked at the broken wood around the floor.

"Eavesdropped?!" Kedah sounded so shocked. "Cynthia we were discussing important business!"

"Kedah, shut up, we weren't." Tag piped in. He grinned at me. "Glad to see you joined us again, Rebel."

"Joined again?" I echoed. "When did I quit?"

Everyone exchanged confused glances. "We were told by Hilbert you quit and went home." Brush said.

"That is not true." …Anymore. "I'm here for my gym battle."

"So the rumors are true, you did lose to Captain Loud Pants?" Tag asked.

I nodded. "Yes, I did." Might as well admit my loss.

"But what are you doing here?" Ellena still looked dumbfounded.

"I was reading upstairs." I looked around. Everything in this area was crossed off. "Where are you?"

"The restricted section, where Lea keeps his goodies." Kedah said. "Old maps, books of superstitious legends, it goes on and on."

"Since you're here," Brush started, "you might as well join our meeting." He got all the railing off the table. Everyone sat back down, he gestured to a seat. I took it. "This is our Canalave friends, Marco and Sara." He pointed to the two new faces of the group. They looked like Canalave citizens, brown hair, hazel eyes. "Marco has been helping us for a while, he works here in the library. He's been sending us maps and stuff. Sara is new, her dad has a boat. She'll help us get to the island."

"Island?" I repeated.

"Yes, the island not too far from here, the place where everyone thinks a gold rush is going on."

"And the place where it's dangerous to go." Sara added.

"It's not dangerous!" Kedah yelled.

"Kedah, enough!" Ellena shouted. "She can be worried if she wants to. Sara, it's not that dangerous."

"Yeah it is! Lea's guards are all over the place, if they see us we'll go down like a fishing pole against a Gyarados! The island is off limits, we shouldn't go."

"Sara, please think of—"

"No! This is too much!" She stood up. "First I'm being asked to lend a boat, then I'm asked to bomb something, and then blonde girls fall from the sky! No, I'm done!" She stomped away.

"Well there goes our ship." Ellena muttered.

"Great, now we can't get out there." Tag sighed. "Marco, do you know someone else with a boat?"

"Not anyone who would take it to the island or is trustworthy." He shrugged. "She was it."

"Maybe it's a good thing she's not coming." Kedah said, with a bit too much delight.

"Now we will have to think of another plan of attack." Brush said. He started thinking aloud. "Maybe we can do something here…"

"No, Lea's done enough here." Ellena said.

"Maybe we can fly out to the island?"

"No, there's not enough Flying Type's for us all."

"Maybe we can steal a boat?"

"No, that's too risky and complicated."

Ellena and Brush did the 'maybe, no' for a bit longer. There weren't any ideas coming about.

"It's a good thing this blew over though." Ellena had said after a moment of silence.

"Why?" I asked.

"We would have been torn to shreds by Lea's guards. We're out numbered."

"Guards isn't the right word, more like army." Tag said.

Then it clicked together perfectly in my head. The missing piece. The extra thing.

"We need an army."

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Note: <strong>Yes, I am over my writers block! I am so happy to say how pleased I am with how this, and the next chapter, came out! It took me a while to write this, but I hope you all like it!

DeathGoblin: I can't answer all your questions and concerns, really because there are so many, but focusing on the Gabite never listens one... Gabite is just stubborn, and frankly so is Cynthia, I know I've lengthen them hating each other for a long time, but for good reason. You keep saying "They need to talk, they need to talk, roooaarr" and I so get that, but that's just not what I feel should happen (Yet at least). I hope I didn't disappoint with that answer. Thank you so much for reading, it's fantastic getting your reviews! I love them so much. Thanks!


	29. Army

_Chapter Twenty-eight: Army_

_Running From Myself_

Everyone around gave me a weird look. "Cynthia, don't we already have an army?" Ellena gestured around.

"No, we're outnumbered, we need to recruit people. Lots of people. And we need to have a real war with the guards." To me, this made sense, but everyone else laughed.

"Please, you're dreaming." Kedah said in-between chuckles.

My eyebrows met in the middle. I frowned. "_I'm _dreaming? This whole thing," I motioned to the group, "was made on a delusion. Why are we suddenly against them now?"

"Hey, this was _not_ made on a delusion! This was sought after and thought through." Ellena said, getting defensive. I didn't blame her, her deceased father came up with the idea and I was talking against it.

"Maybe so, but it was continued by dreamers following a delusion." No one said anything to that. "Why don't we take this a step further?"

"Because it's dangerous. Too dangerous. That's final." Brush said.

"Let's at least _try _to make this work, let's take it seriously and recruit people." I stood up. "Lea is going to get whatever he's hunting, that's the way it works. We have to overthrow him, right? And apparently we scaring him with superstitious legends aren't enough. We need the upper hand, strength in numbers."

Everyone thought a moment. "It's crazy enough to work." Ellena muttered.

"There are people from home who'd come." Tag said.

"No, no one from home is gutsy enough to escape town." Kedah countered.

"I bet I can get people." Marco piped in. "My brothers would join. They could get people too."

"Hilbert could send people." Ellena added.

"I can't believe you guys are thinking this way." Brush shook his head. "No. We're not getting more people involved."

"Brush, this is what we have to do. It could work if we make it work." Ellena tried to coax him.

"I don't care. If you want to go along with this, I'm out."

"But we need you!" Kedah whined. "You're our leader!"

"Yeah Brush, you can't quit when we've come so far." Carrick, the quiet one, said.

Brush chewed everything over. "Fine." He spit. "We'll try this, but we need to be careful." Everyone grinned. My heart rate increased. This was getting exciting.

"I could get a boat." I said quickly, but I was hardly thinking.

"How?!" Kedah asked.

"Professor Rowan knows someone with a boat. We would have to trust him in order to ask him, but maybe he could get us out there."

"Are you kidding? Isn't Professor Rowan famous? He'll rat us out."

I shook my head. "No, he won't. He's one-hundred-percent trustable." I didn't fully agree with that…But we needed a boat, and Rowan knew a guy. And I knew, deep, deep, deep down, my dislike for him was silly.

They started sharing ideas. I think Brush became a little more comfortable with the thought as we all talked it through. This was a dangerous long-shot, but it's what we needed to do.

* * *

><p>That evening Kedah, Ellena and I sat in my room. They decided that, since they didn't trust the Center workers, they were just going to bunk in my room…Great. I didn't mind it very badly, it's just I like my privacy.<p>

Kedah sat on the bed and stared at Roserade. "Why does she have…Flower bouquets for hands?" She cocked her head to the side. "And she's all, petally and flowery." Roserade rumbled a growl.

"If the Pokémon could talk, she'd say similar things about you." Ellena laughed. "Except you'd be thorny and weedy." We snickered.

Kedah frowned. "At least I'm not two feet tall, has bad hair and is _ugly _as a Kricketot with—" Roserade growled and lunged forward. She touched Kedah's arm, it turned a purple color. Kedah yelped. "Sinnoh! What the heck just happened!" She grasped her arm.

Ellena burst out laughing. "She touched you with Poison Point."

Kedah swore then ran to the bathroom. "What are you doing?" Ellena asked, still laughing.

"I don't know, anything!"

I started laughing when Roserade crossed her arms over her chest and nodded her head in victory.

Kedah walked out of the bathroom. Her arm was still purple. "I don't feel good. Will I die?!"

"No, you'll be fine. If you were going to die, you'd be dead. She probably didn't even do anything harsh."

"She might have! She's evil!"

I returned Roserade. "There, now Kedah will be safe from having a purple body." Ellena and I started chuckling.

We heard a knock on the door. "Cynthia?" It was Rowan.

Everyone stopped laughing. _What am I going to do?! _I pointed to the bathroom. Ellena and Kedah ran in and shut the door. I gathered myself then opened the door.

"Hello Miss Cynthia." Rowan greeted. He walked in. "I just came to check up on you…I noticed you didn't go to the gym again. Not too discouraged, I hope."

I rolled my eyes. "Rowan, as it happens, I was busy all day at the library. I even trained a bit, too. What's it to you, anyways?"

"I was just making sure you weren't going to go home." He shrugged. "No harm done."

"Right." I decided now was a good time to ask him about a boat. "Rowan, didn't you say that you were going out to one of the islands?"

"Yes, I did say that."

"So you have a boat?"

"I know someone with a boat, yes."

"Would you mind if…I went out on the boat with you?" I tried my 'sweet, charming young lady' tone.

"I didn't know you were into research."

"Oh yes, growing up in Celestic and having the family that I do, it's in my blood."

"Well I don't see why you can't join us." He shrugged. "It'll be fun." _Doubtful. _

"The thing is, however…" I hesitated. Telling him was harder than I thought. Maybe I truly didn't trust him enough…But why? My grandfather trusted him greatly, I should have too.

He gave me a serious look. "Is there something you wish to tell me?"

I shook my head. "No, Rowan, there isn't."

Rowan sighed. "Miss Cynthia, you should learn to trust me."

"And Professor Rowan, you should learn to believe me."

He smirked. "Right. Have a nice night." He walked out of the room and closed the door.

Kedah and Ellena came out of the bathroom. "Why didn't you tell him?!" Kedah asked. "That was our ride!" She pointed to the door.

"You all can still come." I said.

"How?!"

"Sneak on the boat, sneaking is one of your best abilities, right?"

Ellena sighed. "Cynthia, this was supposed to be another person on _our_ side. Do you not trust him?"

"I guess I don't." I shrugged. "Wait, yes I do…Maybe…No."

Ellena smacked her head. "Do you or don't you?"

"No. Yes. No…"

"Just say yes and go talk to the man!" Kedah yelled. "This is our chance to overthrow Lea! You said it yourself!"

I nodded my head. "Yeah, you're right. This is our chance." I walked to my door and left the room. I walked across the hall and banged on the door.

A moment later Rowan opened the door. I barged in and turned towards him. "Rowan, there is something I want to tell you. You probably know that Oreburgh is in a bad state and is all messed up, well what you don't know is that there are rebels who live there who escape the town through secret tunnels and all kinds of stuff. They work with Hilbert, the day care owner, and they used to work with this man Pete but he died. Now they're here, they want to overthrow Lea by using your boat, and I'm a rebel too." The words all tumbled out of my mouth. Once they were gone, I wished I could suck them back in.

"Oh goodness, I am sorry." I grabbed my head. "Why did I just do that?!"

Rowan laughed. "Miss Cynthia, of course I know about the rebels."

I gave him a weird look. "How?"

"I keep up with Byron, he knows about them and he told me."

"But you knew I was a rebel?"

"Yes. I figured it out." He chuckled. "It's good to know you do trust me though."

"It's good to know you are trustworthy." Relief flooded over me. "Will you let the rebels go out to the island with you?"

He nodded. "Yes I will. It's probably dangerous, but I will allow it."

"And another thing…Do you know anyone who could join us? We are sort of going to war with the guards."

"I think I know a few people. I'm assuming the people in your bathroom know you told me all this?"

I laughed and nodded. "They know."

He smiled goodheartedly. "Good."

* * *

><p>The sun beamed happily on my face the next morning. The sea breeze mixed with the hot sun was an enjoyable experience. I loved the beach. It was so relaxing and calming, even in stressful times. I walked across the huge bridge towards the library. The rebels were having another meeting there.<p>

I walked up to the restricted section. Everyone stood around the table. Marco was present, he had a group of new faces with him.

"Cynthia, this is Marco's brothers and nephews." Brush explained. I nodded my hello. I looked around for more people, unfortunately there were none. "Let's sit everyone."

Everybody sat at the crowded table except Ellena and Brush. "We're going to leave out tomorrow." Ellena said. "Make sure you're ready to go by then. Brush, Tag and Carrick are going to leave for Oreburgh today. They have to work at the mines."

"We'll be back by tomorrow at dinnertime. Hopefully, we'll bring people back with us." Brush said.

"Make sure you all contact anyone who could help us. I've sent a letter to Hilbert asking him to send people. We hope it'll be soon. There's no way to know unless people show up. We have a boat that'll get us there and back, so that's taken care of."

"The raid is still going strong. Lea sent over handfuls of guards today, and me and Carrick watched two full boats of them head out to the islands. They're everywhere. Be careful, if they're looking at you funny, get away. We've recognized some from Oreburgh. We don't need to be caught." Brush elucidated. "Make sure your Pokémon are strong enough for tomorrow. Take this day to train. Make sure you're out of the city limits, if you leave, leave with partners. If more people join by tomorrow, make sure they know when we're leaving and what to do. This is serious." You could tell by the tone of his voice that it _was _serious.

"Tomorrow when we're out in the islands, we expect you to know what you're doing and to not goof-off." Ellena said, her tone matching Brush's. "Cynthia and Kedah will be with me tomorrow. Carrick, Tag and Marco will be together. Brush will lead Marco's family, and anyone else will be put with either Carrick or Brush's group. Carrick's group is the strongest, they'll have one of the main responsibilities, my group will have one of the main responsibilities, and Brush's group is to help us by fighting and distracting guards. Understand?" Everyone nodded.

"I can't wait to see Lea with his tail between his legs!" Tag said.

"Tag, Lea won't be there. Just guards. Still, the guards are his way of doing anything. If the guards do down, he goes down. And tomorrow the place will be crawling with guards."

"And Lea will definitely get the memo that we're out to stop him." Kedah cut in.

We chatted about Lea a moment more, then Brush and the boys left for Oreburgh. I asked how they were getting there, they said that Sara would get them to Jubilife but not to the islands. Kedah, Ellena and I left the city to train. Kedah had recently caught three Pokémon, so we were teaching her how to make them stronger. She had a fishing rod that caught her a Finneon and a Barboach, her strongest Pokémon, and she had an Abra the teleported away from her (I sympathized with her). Nevertheless, we trained them _hard._

My Pokémon took a beating as well. We were going to the gym today, before we would leave tomorrow. That would help them build-up strength as well. Spiritomb was all for training since my presence wasn't around. Roserade tried to double-hit more than once, but she got too tired too quickly. As for the rest of my Pokémon, they were doing good. Minus Gabite. I tried to have a heart-to-heart, as Ellena suggested, but she almost used Dragon Rage on my face. Probably because I wasn't genuine and a bit sarcastic…That went well…

Ellena had a Geodude and her father's Graveler, they were both pretty tough and listened well, Graveler was high in levels and could dodge almost effortlessly. That certainly came in handy. Geodude was bred and hatched from an egg, so he had a special bond with Ellena and listened to her every word. She had an upper-hand there.

All of our Pokémon battled against each other in weird orders and ways. It was fun having these battles. It was good practice for Kedah to call out moves quickly. She caught on instantly and had no problems keeping up with Ellena and I.

I was surprised when Graveler beat my Bibarel, but I tried to call off Water Gun too many times when I should have called other moves. Whenever I would yell "Water—" Ellena would command him to dodge and he would. He was definitely scared of water, which was good, he would always dodge it.

After spending multiple hours training, it was well past lunchtime. We headed for the Mart and got a loaf of bread and some Pokémon food. We went to my Center room and released most of our Pokémon, it was very cramped in there. But fun at the same time…Until Roserade threatened Kedah. It was humorous how they didn't get along, they were opposites after all. Kedah was very tomboyish and Roserade…Wasn't.

Soon, it was time for me to have my battle. Kedah and Ellena decided to go check around for possible new people interested to help us, and then they would go train some more. I went down to the lobby with my things, ready to beat Captain Steel. I healed my Pokémon then started for the door.

"Miss Cynthia," Rowan called. I rolled my eyes and turned in his direction. He was sitting in one of the lobby chairs nearby, the thing was however, he wasn't alone.

I walked over to him. I recognized the man sitting next to him, but I couldn't quite pinpoint where I had seen him. He was around my age, had sandy hair, much like mine, and cobalt eyes. His hair was rather messy, like he had just rolled out of bed; he had sideburns, unkempt sideburns, and wore a stern expression. _Where have I seen him before?! _I thought.

Rowan stood up. "Miss Cynthia, meet Volkner."

"Hello." I greeted. Confusion was still etched on my face.

"He's the last the gym leader." Rowan added, noting my look.

Volkner stood up. "Hey." He reached his hand out. I shoot it and half-smiled.

"Are you headed to Captain?" Rowan asked.

"Yes I am."

"Oh good, Volkner wanted to watch your battle."

I frowned. I didn't like that idea. _The last gym leader watching my battle? No, he'll know how I work and will have the upper-hand later. _I wanted to object, but I knew that would be rude. "No." I objected anyways.

"No?" Volkner echoed. "I just want to watch your battle."

"Cynthia, he's a trainer, he likes watching battles." Rowan said. "Why can't he come?"

_Because I said no. _"I would lose focus with a crowd watching me." I lied.

"You've had huge crowds watching you before and you were perfectly fine. You even won the battle." Volkner said, seeing right through me. "Why can't I come?" He seemed frustrated and offended.

I automatically took the same emotion. "Because I said no. I don't even want Rowan there but he tags along anyways." I mused.

Volkner frowned. "Whatever, _Miss Cynthia_, I won't come." He took a step away. "But I want to." He didn't look back when he said that.

I don't know why, but I felt guilty for my actions. I rolled my eyes. "_Fine, _you can come." I called to him.

He turned around on his heels and walked back over. He stuck his hands in his jacket pockets and smirked. "Great."

We left the Center and started for the gym yet again. Right before the bridge, I noticed a Starly taking off from the post office. That reminded me to send a letter to Oliver and ask him to come down and help us. I stopped. Volkner, who walked behind me, ran right into me.

I started to fall, but he caught me and pulled me to my feet. "Watch it." He said. He still had his arms around me. I squirmed out of his grip and probably blushed as I looked towards the post office.

"I should send a letter…" I trailed off, not wanting to reveal too much to Volkner.

"_Now_?" He asked.

I nodded. "Rowan, would you mind waiting a minute?" He shook his head.

I purposely didn't say anything to Volkner, I was still slightly irritated with him. I shot him a quick glance, he scowled. I walked into the post office and grabbed two pieces of paper. One for Grandmother and one for Oliver.

_Dear Oliver, _

_ I apologize for my lack of communication…Things have gotten insanely busy. As you may or may not know, I am currently in Canalave City. I urgently request that you come here and meet me. Please come here quickly, prepared with battling Pokémon. Ask around for people that might want to join you._

_ Thank you. _

_ Sincerely, _

_ Cynthia Everheart _

I quickly wrote a note telling Grandmother I'm alright and about to go to battle with Captain Steel. I sent them both out right away and headed back to Rowan and Volkner.

"Ready now?" Rowan asked. I nodded and we crossed the bridge.

We walked into the steel building. Captain Steel looked like he was training with his Empoleon at that moment, but he stopped and approached us, his Water and Steel Type obediently following. "Trainer Cynthia! Nice to see you again!" He yelled, his booming voice bouncing around the room and shooting in my ears.

"Same to you." I said.

"Are you here for a battle? I bet you are! You are aren't you? You must be!"

"Yes, I'm here for our final battle."

His grin widened, "excellent! Let us start and not wait any longer then we absolutely have to!"

I just blinked.

"Righto! You stand on your side!" He jogged to his end.

I walked over to mine. _Focus, you've got this. You can do it. _I thought.

"Forretress, go!" The clam Pokémon came out.

"Bibarel, fight well!" Bibarel came out of the Pokéball and growled. He readied himself for a command.

"Take Down!" Forretress leapt up and collided with Bibarel, sending both of them to the ground.

"Hyper Fang." I commanded. Bibarel hissed and opened his mouth wide. He jabbed his teeth into the foe. Forretress cried out in pain. My Pokémon jumped up and ran back to his place.

"Payback!" The opponent rolled to Bibarel and slammed into him, sending him flying backwards.

"Water Gun." My Pokémon spit water at the rival. "Hyper Fang." He sprinted to Forretress and bit it hard.

"Take Down again!" Captain yelled. Forretress tackled Bibarel again. Bibarel clashed to the ground and whimpered, I knew he took a good hit. But nevertheless, he stood up and was ready for another hit.

"Take Down." I shouted. I knew it was risky, most likely Bibarel would go down after the attack, but I was hoping it would push the rival over the edge as well. Bibarel slammed onto Forretress. He rolled across the room and slammed into the steel walls. Bibarel slumped to the ground, no hope of recovery. I returned my Pokémon and looked at the foe.

He lay lifelessly on the ground. Captain returned him, I smiled. Three more to go.

"Bronzong, go!" Captain released the large, robotic Pokémon.

I decided to, yet again, go with Milotic. "Milotic, beat the rival." She materialized from the light beam.

"Use Extrasensory!" Captain Steel commanded. Bronzong focused on Milotic. She started to become hazy in appearance, she cried out in pain.

"Fight it!" I called. Milotic started to fight back, soon the foe stopped. "Use Hydro Pump." She spewed water at Bronzong, he fell to the ground with a clang.

"Get up and use Gyro Ball!" Bronzong levitated back up and started spinning rapidly. Silver and white waves spun around with him. He spun across the field and onto my Pokémon. She wasn't knocked to the ground, she held herself greatly.

"Twister." I commanded. Milotic created a purple tornado. It crashed over to the rival and pushed him into the air. He collided with the ground. He recovered slowly.

"Confuse Ray!" Instantly, Milotic fell to the ground. She twitched and slammed her large tail to the ground. I knew there was no hope for her.

"Spiritomb, defeat him!" My Ghost Type came out. She grinned wickedly and cackled. My presence wasn't going to mess this up.

"Bronzong, Extrasensory!" Bronzong focused. Nothing happened. Spiritomb cackled, and I grinned.

"Ominous Wind." I called. Black and purple fog circled around Bronzong. They intertwined with the rival, he cried out in his mechanical way.

"Gyro Ball!" Bronzong used Gyro Ball flawlessly. Spiritomb screeched, she took a good hit.

"Sucker Punch." Spiritomb shot to the foe, a black ghostly fist appeared and wailed on Bronzong.

Bronzong fought back well. "Gyro Ball again!" Bronzong spun around and spun right through Spiritomb's body, she cried out then cackled evilly.

"Ominous Wind." I commanded. The hazy air collided with the opponent. Bronzong screamed and fell to the ground. He had fainted. A sweet smile crossed my face. I returned Spiritomb and waited for Captain to release his next Pokémon.

"Go Empoleon!" The penguin-like Water Type came out.

"Roserade." I brought out Grass Type. I knew I had the upper hand type-wise.

"Brine!" Empoleon shot water at my Pokémon. She was pushed backwards. She stood her ground and stopped herself before slamming into the wall.

"Great defense." I praised. "Giga Drain." Roserade focused. Empoleon bent over and cried out. Roserade, still looking beautiful and regal, stood tall. She was causing inner torture within Empoleon, she was loving it. She breathed in life stolen from Empoleon.

The rival stood up slowly. You could see the lingering pain on his face. "Metal Claw!" He sprinted to my Pokémon. His wing over coated in silver and he sliced it across Roserade's body. She hissed and growled.

"Petal Dance." I shouted. Roserade lifted her arms up. Colorful leaves spun around her. The leaves multiplied. They shot to Empoleon and pierced his skin.

"Bubblebeam!" Many bubbles hit Roserade and knocked her to the ground. She stood slowly. I knew she didn't have much left. "Metal Claw!"

"Dodge!" I tried. But Empoleon slammed his metallic wing into my Pokémon. She slumped to the ground, still full of grace, and fainted.

That left Milotic, Gabite and Thumper. I decided to fight water with dragon. "Gabite, let's fight."

"Metal Claw!" Empoleon rushed to my Pokémon and sliced a red blood line on her chest. Gabite roared and showed her sharp teeth.

"Dragon Claw." Gabite returned the favor by slicing Empoleon's wing.

"Bubblebeam!" Empoleon shot water at Gabite. She stood her ground.

"Take Down!" I commanded. Gabite tackled Empoleon. They fell to the ground harshly. Empoleon was down for the count.

Gabite stood up and walked in front of me. She hissed slightly at me. I rolled my eyes.

"Lucario!" Captain brought out the blue and black dog Pokémon. He had fierceness perfectly displayed in his eyes and expression.

"Dragon Rage." I shouted. Gabite jumped up and glided over to the foe. Then, she dropped down and tackled him, using Take Down again. Both Gabite and Lucario took some damage.

"Bone Rush!" Captain Steel yelled. Lucario held out his hand. Blue colored energy started to swirl and take the form of a bone. Gabite used Dragon Claw and ruined the rivals concentration. I smiled at this…Even though she disobeyed me.

"Again!" I called. Gabite used Dragon Claw again perfectly. I grinned.

"Metal Claw!" Lucario's claws turned silvery. He scratched Gabite. She roared and growled.

"Dragon Rage." Gabite spewed purple energy at the opponent. Lucario fell backwards but quickly recovered.

"Bone Rush!" Lucario created a bone-shaped energy force and hit Gabite over the head with it. She growled and raised her hand to strike him. Then, surprising both me and Rowan, she looked at me for a command.

"Dragon Claw." I yelled, a smirk etched on my face. She used Dragon Claw and left her claw imprints on Lucario's chest.

"Use Close Combat!" Lucario met Gabite and started punching and kicking her. She roared and used Take Down…Again. I smacked my forehead. _And I thought we were getting somewhere! _

They both jumped back up and started hissing at each other. "Dragon Rage!" Gabite used the move beautifully. Lucario stood up slowly.

"Metal Claw!" Lucario quickly clawed Gabite. "Aura Sphere!" Lucario held his paw out. A blue ball shot to Gabite and knocked her to the ground. She was KO'd.

I grabbed Milotic's Pokéball. "Milotic, win for me!" She came out of the ball and held her head high, totally over her confusion.

"Close Combat!" Lucario jumped to Milotic and punched and kicked and hurt her. She groaned.

"Aqua Tail." Her large tail morphed into rushing water, she slammed it on Lucario and knocked him away. He stood up and waited a command.

"Bone Rush!" Lucario sprinted towards my Pokémon. He slammed the bone on Milotic.

"Hydro Pump." I commanded. Water spilled out of my Pokémon's mouth and knocked Lucario to the ground. It was no doubt a critical hit, Lucario had fainted.

Volkner became an uproar with cheers. I looked over at him, cheering and clapping, and grinned.

My smile of victory was great, the feeling inside me was better. I was back in the game, and I wasn't leaving.

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Note: <strong>So, what did everyone think? Sorry for my late update...I've been busy. I hope you all had a great Hallows Eve, I had a nice one myself. This gym battle was a major pain, it took me a few days to write. Thankfully it's written and done. Hopefully I didn't disappoint.

I'm almost to one-hundred reviews! Let's get TCB to one-hundred!

*OH. And I put a new poll on my profile... It's kind of important. Sort of. Check it out yall.


	30. Recruiting

_Chapter Twenty-nine: Recruiting_

_Running From Myself_

"Congratulations." Volkner said as soon as we escaped the loud-mouth gym leader. Professor Rowan stayed behind to talk to Captain Steel.

"Thank you." My smile was still glued on my face. I was honestly proud of myself and overly happy.

"You really do know how to battle," he smirked, "I can't wait for the day we get to battle."

"You mean when I beat you?" I teased.

"Yeah, sure." He sighed. "But you have to make it to me first."

"I'll beat Snowpoint, you do not have to worry." I matched his smirk.

"I know I'll be cheering you on. I don't really like that gym leader, she's weird. Almost like Fantina."

I nodded. "Fantina was weird."

"At least _I _didn't have to eat a meal with those people." He grimaced.

I cocked my head at him. "How did you know that?"

He smirked again. Humor crossed his face. "Word gets around." He paused, "especially about you."

"Oh." I didn't really know how to react to that.

"You're getting pretty famous, _Miss_ Cynthia." Whenever he said 'Miss Cynthia' there was always sarcasm in his voice, it made me want to roll my eyes, but I wasn't going to let him call me Cynthia. I wasn't sure why, probably because that way I 'won' and he 'lost' because he didn't get to call me Cynthia. But I still hated it.

"I know. It's weird." I muttered.

"Why don't—" Volkner was interrupted when the gym door opened. My eyes fluttered over in that direction, Rowan was walking out.

"Miss Cynthia, I talked to Captain Steel about the whole rebel situation and he's in, he's willing to join us and let us use his boat."

I nearly had a heart attack. Rowan had just told my secret to some arrogant gym leader, and I wasn't happy about it. I dowsed my anger and tried to cover up the situation. I chuckled, "_what_ are you talking about Rowan?" I laughed nervously some more. "You make the funniest jokes."

"Volkner knows about everything." Rowan chuckled. "That's why I called him down here."

"Oh." I felt stupid. "Of course, that makes sense. So are you joining us?" I scrambled to change the subject.

"I, uh, no." Volkner shook his head. "Don't worry, I'll keep your secret, I just don't want to join you."

"Why?" The word fell out of my mouth uncontrollably. It wasn't my business and I knew that.

He smirked. "Because it's dangerous. Plus I have a reputation to uphold, plus I don't want to get in deep with Lea. I've looked into those devil eyes before, I don't want to do it again." His smirk vanished. When he frowned all his arrogance flew away and was replaced with sincerity.

The reputation part I didn't like, the devil eyes…I could understand.

"We should get back to the Center. It's about dinnertime I would say. You two can head on back, I'll get some food, my treat." Rowan nodded and headed for the Mart. We started towards the Center.

We walked over the large bridge. The sunset was beautifully reflecting off of the water. It looked like it was dipping down into the sea, ready to disappear forever. I stopped walking so I could look at the view longer.

Volkner bumped into my shoulder. "You do that a lot." He murmured. "Why'd we stop?"

I looked at him. "The sunset is pretty. I wanted to look at it." I said bluntly.

He chuckled. "Right. Very pretty." I looked back at the sight. You never saw sunsets like this in Celestic. This was perfection. I looked out of the corner of my eye at Volkner, he was staring at me.

I turned my head and glared at him. "Why are you doing that?"

"Doing what?" He smirked, knowing he had been caught.

"Doing…What you were doing. Don't do that." He continued to stare into my eyes. I frowned and started walking away. I heard him laugh.

"You're a little too bossy, you know that don't you?" He came to my side.

"Maybe." I muttered. He laughed. "Please don't laugh at me."

"C'mon, I'm just having fun. That's more then you're doing, _Miss_ Cynthia."

I rolled my eyes and glared at him again. "At least I'm being mature here."

"_Oh,_ burn." He snickered. "Seriously, you need to lighten up. You did just win a battle."

I stopped walking and turned to him. "Tomorrow, I have to go to war. I have to worry about not getting caught and, oh yeah, _winning_. So excuse me for not being the life of the party." I started walking again.

He sighed and walked next to me. "You are right about that. I'm sorry for being a jerk."

"Well you are a jerk." We approached the Center. I walked inside and healed my Pokémon. Then Volkner and I walked into the dining room. Rowan was seated nearby with some food. I sat down.

"Here is a nice garden salad for the lady," Rowan pushed a container of leafy greens over to me, "and two vegetable sandwiches for the men." He took a bite of his sandwich, and I started picking at my salad. "You did exceptionally well tonight." Rowan said.

"Thank you." That was very genuine. I smiled.

"Volkner here was very impressed by you."

"I was indeed." Volkner nodded and smirked at me. His smirks seemed like a mixture of feelings. They were never backed up by his eyes, his eyes always showed a bit of sorrow._ Maybe it's because they're blue, and blue seems like a gloomy color. And maybe because his eyes are always stern and focused and his smirks seem sarcastic. Other times they seem so genuine…Not like I've had enough time to study his smirks. _Realizing I was staring, I looked away. I felt my cheeks heat up.

Small talk was made for the next few minutes. I tried to stay out of it as much as I could, although Volkner wasn't helping. He kept turning the conversation my way. He almost seemed amused by this, I glared at him once or twice.

I finally escaped back to my room. Ellena and Kedah sat on the bed. "How'd it go?" Ellena asked.

"Good, I won." I said. I sat on the couch and kicked my old shoes off. I pulled my hair up into a bun.

Ellena came and sat next to me. "And?"

"And what? I won. Got the badge and prize money."

Kedah walked over. "We saw you with some guy out on the bridge. Watching the sunset, it was quite the romantic sight." She raised her eyebrows.

"No, no, no, no, _no._" I stood up. "No!"

Kedah snickered. "Calm down. We just thought—"

"Well you thought wrong. No. _No_." I shook my head and grimaced.

"We couldn't help but think what we did." Ellena shrugged. "We were on our way here from training, we saw you two being all cute, and we assumed…"

"No." I repeated. "And that's final. Don't assume ever again." I sat back down and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Why are you all mad?" Kedah asked.

"I'm not mad." I muttered.

"Yeah, you are." Ellena agreed.

I scoffed. "You two assume so much."

"He was pretty hunky." Kedah elbowed me. "Got to like that."

I glared at her. "No. Let's change the subject. How was training?"

"A success. Geodude and Graveler are ready for tomorrow, and Kedah's Pokémon will be great. We're going to have a meeting tomorrow morning with everyone whose still here, and then have another on the boat when we leave out. I'm hoping that Brush comes back with a few more people."

"I hope it's not my brother." Kedah murmured. "I told him he's not allowed to fight with us, but if Brush lets the word out that we're recruiting, he'll jump in for sure."

"I sent out a letter to someone I know." I said, referring to Oliver. "I hope he shows up with people."

"I'm glad Marco brought all his brothers, that was a great addition." Ellena said, we agreed. We talked for a bit longer about tomorrow, then we decided to get some sleep, tomorrow would be a _long_ day.

* * *

><p>The water splashed around playfully. You could see some Water Type's swimming around underneath sometimes. It looked like fun. You know, to constantly be in the water. Be light as air. No worries at all. Just floating and swimming and living. Maybe eating some seaweed or leaping out of the water and seeing all of the 'other' world. Living in the sea would be easy…As opposed to living out on dry land, where I'm expected to go to war and <em>live.<em> Sea life would be magical.

I saw a Magikarp leap out of the water. I smiled. Then, a Gyarados jumped up and swallowed the Pokémon whole. Yeah, I guess life was the same all around.

"Hey." I heard. I turned around, Volkner was standing there. "What are you looking at?" He came to my side and leaned on the bridge rail with me.

"Just the water."

"You like the sea, don't you?"

"Yes, I do. I never saw it until I left for my gym battles. When I went to Sandgem, to be exact. What about you, don't you like the sea?"

He shook his head. "The sea's overrated. I grew up in the sea, it's not all that." Volkner lived in Sunyshore, it was known for its huge beaches.

"I grew up on a mountain. Mountains are overrated."

He chuckled. "Maybe we're both wrong." He met my eyes.

"Maybe." I mumbled. His eyes looked deep-blue and clear. They made me feel sad. I couldn't figure Volkner out at all, he just didn't make sense. He cared about his reputation, that I did not like, yet he was in Canalave talking to me, a rebel. I didn't get it.

"Why are you doing that?" Volkner smirked.

"What?" My brows furrowed together. "Doing what?"

"What you were doing." He raised his eyebrows. "Don't do that."

I frowned and looked away. I was staring again. He chuckled and looked out towards the water. "Looks like we should move, a boat of Lea's guards is about to leave." I looked over, guards were pouring into a boat. I nodded, we walked off the bridge. We stood and watched the bridge rise up. The boat glided under and away from the city.

I looked towards the library. "I should go, I think I'm late for a rebel meeting."

"Want me to come?" Volkner asked.

I shot him a mad look. "Absolutely not." I scoffed and walked towards the building. I went to the restricted section, which really wasn't all that restricted, and found the table. Marco and his group sat there along with Kedah and three new faces.

Ellena smiled at me. "These three guys were sent from Hilbert. This is Janson, Luke, and Surge." I nodded and smiled. They looked like beefy, ready-to-fight guys. Except for Janson, he looked like he belonged in a lab of sorts, he wore Professor Rowan apparel and had glasses pushed up on his face. But hey, we took what we got.

I sat down and looked at Ellena. "I hope more people are coming with Brush later, but if not I'm pretty confident in this group." She gestured at us. "Now everyone _needs_ to be ready. Janson, Luke, and Surge, are your Pokémon ready to fight?"

"Yes ma'am, the three of us have good fightin' Pokémon, ready for the challenge." Surge answered. He definitely had a Solaceon accent.

"Great. Make sure to train today anyway, we can't be _too_ careful, can we? Make sure you have items with you, but do not over pack. The cloaks we use have a pocket, all you need can be put in the pocket. It's a bad idea to juggle bags while running and fighting. Make sure you all eat before we go, and you all are rested up. It's going to be scary and hard, but we can do this." Ellena grinned. "Alright, let's go get ready. People will come and gather you when it's time, so stay in the area." Everyone left.

Ellena, Kedah and I walked out of the library. We were all excited for the nights battle. Volkner stood nearby, waiting for me. Ellena and Kedah looked at each other, I knew what they were thinking. They looked at me. "We'll be out training." Ellena said. They walked off.

Volkner approached me. "You seem to always have a fan club with you." He shook his head.

"No I don't." I rolled my eyes.

"You do that a lot."

"Do what?" I asked dryly.

"Roll your eyes. I don't like that."

I rolled my eyes again. "Frankly, I don't care what you like or dislike."

He smirked. "Yes you do."

"What? No I don't."

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't."

"I can see through you, _Miss _Cynthia." His smirk grew into a half-smile.

I rolled my eyes for the third time. "No you can't, no I don't, you don't know me."

"That's true, I don't, but I'd like to." He raised his eyebrows. His smile vanished.

I squinted my eyes at him. "Don't say things like that."

He chuckled, "and why not?"

"Because I don't like it."

"Yes you do."

I stomped my foot. "Volkner, this is getting old. I'm tired of your weird games. Why do you want me to…To…" I shook my head. "I don't even know! You're driving me insane, I need to focus. I'm going to go train." I started walking away. "Just leave me alone."

* * *

><p>An hour or so later, I was leaned against a tree, watching Kedah and Ellena battle. Once Ellena won the two-on-two, she walked over to me. "Why are you glum?"<p>

"I am stressed." I answered.

"Stressed over boys?" Kedah walked over.

I rolled my eyes. "Sinnoh, if you say something like that again, I'll hurt you.

"Kitty's out for blood today." Kedah grinned.

"I'm stressed for the same reason you should be stressed."

"Everything will go swimmingly tonight, I don't have worries, you shouldn't either." Ellena said. She shrugged. "Relax, train a bit. It'll get your mind off things."

"Battle me!" Kedah perked up. "I need the practice against a tough competitor."

I smiled. "Alright, let's battle."

* * *

><p>After the quick battle we walked back into town for lunch. I bought some Pokébread for the three of us then went to find Rowan. Kedah and Ellena were going to sweep the town for any new recruits. I walked into the Center and to Rowan's room. I knocked on the door.<p>

Rowan answer. "Hello Cynthia, what brings you by?"

"Just wanted to talk to you about tonight." I stepped in. I was surprised to see Volkner sitting on the sofa. Of course he would be there. He was everywhere recently.

"Alright, let's talk." Rowan said. He sat on the bed.

Not wanting to sit next to Rowan or Volkner, I stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. "Ellena said to make sure your Pokémon are fight-ready, and for you not to take tons of supplies."

"Miss Cynthia, I won't be battling. I'm simply taking you out there then examining around the island for traces of gold or something." He shrugged. "No need to worry about me."

"Oh, okay. Are you expecting anyone else to come and help us?"

"No, I am not. I'm sorry for not getting more people."

"It's alright Rowan. I'll be around town." I left the room and headed outside. Kedah and Ellena were standing outside of the Center, I walked over to them. "Anything?"

Ellena shook her head. "Not one person that we could find."

"Is your hunk going to be with us?"

I frowned. "_No,_ thank goodness. And he is not my hunk."

Kedah grinned. "That's what you say, maybe he thinks he's your hunk."

"Kedah, I warned you! I have Roserade with me." I reached into my bag and pulled out her Pokéball.

Kedah frowned and took a step back. "I'm done."

"I'm going to send a letter to Hilbert thanking him for his guys." Ellena walked towards the post office.

"Yeah, I'm going with her, I'm afraid you'll pull that _thing_ when we're alone." She pointed to the Pokéball and took off with Ellena.

I sighed and walked back to the Center. When I reached for the door, it opened and someone ran into me. I started to fall backwards, but was caught and brought back to my feet.

Of course, it was Volkner.

I pushed myself away and stepped back. "Quit doing that!"

He chuckled. "Saving you? Yeesh, you've got it bad for me, don't you?"

My mouth opened. "_What_? You really are just as arrogant as I thought you were. Sinnoh, 'got it bad' for you? You really need to check yourself." I walked passed him and stomped away. He grabbed my arm and spun me around.

"I think you need to check _yourself_, Miss Cynthia." He frowned and walked off. I crossed my arms over my chest.

_Check myself?! Please. Miltank would fly before I _like_ that man._

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Note: <strong>Ha! Miltank, I felt clever.

So...You guys are awesome. I say 'Let's get TCB to 100!' and you guys attack me with awesomeness. Thank you, really, for reading and reviewing and everything else. You make my days, weeks, and frankly months. We've reached one-hundred! Woo hoo!

LET'S GET TCB TO 200! Harhar.


	31. Overthrow

_Chapter Thirty: Overthrow_

_Fighting For Everything_

The next few hours were spent in my Center room. I was overly stressed about the 'war' that would happen later. I wasn't quite sure what would happen. With tons and tons of guards there, we would have to be alert every second. Our Pokémon would go down quickly most likely. We'll have to team up and help each other. And on top of that, we're setting bombs today too.

Yes, I was afraid. Yes, I was confident. Yes, I was confused. Yes, I was ready.

I walked out of the Center and towards the docks. Oliver never showed up, probably for the best, so unless Brush brought back people we didn't have a lot of recruits. Enough probably, but not a lot.

Once I reached the docks I saw the boat. It was a silver color with the words 'S.S. Steel' on the side. Captain Steel stood proudly on the ship and waved at me when I walked over. "Trainer Cynthia! It is so wonderful you came! Come on the ship where everyone is waiting!"

I walked up the stairs and to the boats bow. A large group was standing there. I saw Ellena, Kedah, Tag, Brush, Carrick, Marco, Marco's brothers, Janson, Luke, Surge, Captain Steel, and two new men. I walked over to them.

"Cynthia, these are two recruits from Oreburgh." Brush said. "Bullock and Luss." They looked like they were in their twenties or so. They looked like the average Oreburgh mine workers. They were a great addition.

I looked around. I found a pair of blue eyes staring at me. Volkner and Rowan stood nearby. Great.

"Alright," Ellena said, "it looks like everyone's here. We don't have a huge group, but we all have tough Pokémon. Cynthia, Kedah and me will be in a group. Brush will take Janson, Luke, Surge, Captain Steel, Bullock and Luss with him. Carrick will take Tag, Marco and his brothers. We'll split up once we get on the island. Stay focused. Most of you brought your own cloak or something to cover up with. As soon as we set sail, put them on. There may be patrol boats out, we may need to fight them on the way."

"I could send Champ out to see." Rowan and Volkner had stepped up to the group.

"Great, please do that." Rowan stepped away and released his Flying Type out to the skies. "Now, once we're in these groups _stay as a group_. If you wander off, it's your fault. Listen to the person in charge. That's either me, Brush or Carrick. We know what we're doing. We're going to set bombs. Each group will have three bombs to place. The first group to set one will be Carrick's group. Most likely we'll hear when the bomb goes off, so we'll all know. By this time, the guards will be attacking. We want to lure them to Brush's group. His group will do the fighting. Carrick's group will come to you guys for backup. My group will set the next bomb. Once we've bombed, we'll come to Brush's group. Then we'll help lay the last bombs, the big guys. Once they're set, it's get out or go down. Stay cloaked or covered, you don't want to be seen or recognized. People might go down tonight, but the point is, this is war."

Everyone was silent. The realization had set in. This was war…And we could lose.

"Pokémon fly, high in the sky, I like thighs! Waves crash in, we run out, this war is awesome that's why I shout!" Captain Steel, grinning hugely, did a weird dance over to us. He flung his legs all over the place and flailed his arms. "I'm rhyming! …What I miss?!"

We all stared at him while he danced. _Way to ruin a moment, Captain. _"We will set sail now! I need helping hands!" Volkner, along with a few other men, walked over to him. Thankfully he'll leave me alone for a while.

The group dispersed. We started sailing. Once we got a ways away cloaks, or makeshift cloaks, started coming on. Most were silent. This was really setting in hard. Especially for me. I realized that, yes, I could die tonight. We could lose. Lea could win. If we won…What would happen? How could we overthrow Lea? The scary part was this was _just_ the beginning. We might need to go to more wars after this.

What if Lea wins and we lose? I couldn't process that. We'd be captured, for one, we would need to escape…If we don't die. Yeah, this was hard.

Champ landed on the boat. Everyone circled around him. "Champ," Rowan addressed his Pokémon, "is there any boats out to the island?" Champ shook his head. Sounds of relief flooded around.

I looked around. The sky was beginning to turn color as the sun began to set. Adding darkness to the equation…This was going to be fun. Brush sat on a crate nearby. He was writing a letter of sorts. I approached him. "Brush, what are you doing?"

He looked up at me. Grief filled his expression. "Writing a letter to my wife…Just in case. I'm going to give it to Professor Rowan to send out for me if…" He trailed off. I nodded, I knew what he meant. _Should I do the same thing for Grandmother? _I thought. I instantly decided not to and pushed the thoughts away.

I walked off towards the railing of the boat and leaned on it. The water was looking peaceful at the moment, like it was feeling the same emotions of everyone around. Out of the corner of my eye I saw someone come next to me. I looked up, the person wore a cloak like mine. He had his hood up so I couldn't see his face.

"Is the view pretty?" It was Volkner.

I sighed. "Yes." I pulled my hood up as well.

"Are you still angry at me?"

Being angry at him seemed silly and childish now. "No…In fact, I apologize."

There was some silence for a minute. It began to feel a bit awkward. "Why do you want to not like me so much?" He asked. There was so much sincerity in his tone. The emotions on the boat must have affected him too, even though he wasn't laying his life on the line.

I looked at him. "What?"

"You try to hate my guts, when in reality you actually…Don't."

I tried to answer, but I couldn't. At that moment, I didn't know if that was true or not. I was numb to any and all feelings. "I don't know, Volkner." I was honest when I said that. He nodded in response. I looked back out to sea, the sun was deep orange and close to the surface of the water. Not quite ready to say goodbye. The rest of the sky was dark, accepting the night.

"Miss Cynthia, I hope you stay safe tonight…" Volkner said.

"I'll try my best."

"Cynthia," I heard Ellena say. I turned around, her and Kedah stood a few feet back. They motioned for me to go to them. I nodded to Volkner and walked towards the two. I knew what they would think. _They're going to comment on my 'romantic' moment with Volkner…Fantastic. _

I approached them. They had their cloaks on and their hoods down. They looked at each other then back at me. I rolled my eyes. "What?"

"Nothing." They said in unison.

"We wanted you to get your Pokémon in order. Who are you taking?"

I reached into my pocket and pulled out my three Pokémon. "Bibarel, Togekiss and Gabite. Is that good?" Ellena nodded. We stood there for a few more moments. We just stood in each other's presence. We all knew the grief we were feeling.

"I'm glad my brother didn't come." Kedah muttered. "I hope I see him again."

"Kedah, don't talk like that." Ellena said. We were silent again. A minute later they walked off to go check on the boys. Volkner walked up to me again.

"How are you holding up?" He asked, probably noting my look of sorrow.

"Fine." He scratched his arm. Doing so he reveled his forearm. There was a scar lining it. I grabbed his wrist. "What is that?"

He pulled away. "Nothing."

"Volkner, what _is_ that?"

"It's not what you think."

"Is it what I think? Cutting yourself is not an answer."

He pulled his hood down so it completely covered his face. "It's not what you think." He repeated.

"Then what is it?!"

"Nothing!" He snapped. He laid his hands on my shoulders. "Trust me." He whispered.

I bit my lip and nodded. I decided not to worry about him…I shouldn't have anyways. Volkner's business wasn't mine.

"We are approaching! Helpers!" Captain Steel shouted. Volkner looked at me and nodded. I nodded back and he went to help. I found my big group.

"This is it." Tag said. For the first time he wasn't joking, he was somber.

"Stay focused and alert." Brush said. He pulled his hood up and led us over to the rail. The island was a few feet away. It was rocky; not sandy. There were large rocks scattered around. There was a huge cave-like thing in the middle…The only thing was, it had a pointed top.

"It's a volcano?!" Kedah yelled. "We're supposed to do this in a volcano?!"

"It has never erupted." Professor Rowan said. "Then again, it has really never been disturbed…"

"We'll be fine." Ellena tried to ease everyone's new fear of being melted. It didn't work for Kedah.

"Volcano!" She went on about volcano's until we were docked. There was another boat docked on the other side of the island. It was probably the guards' boat.

Captain Steel threw the ladder over the side. One by one we crawled down. There were no guards in sight; I assumed they were inside the cave. Butterfree crept in my stomach. _This is a bad idea. Is this a bad idea? I think this is a bad idea. No it's not. Is it? _

Professor Rowan put his arm around my shoulder. "Miss Cynthia, don't over think it. Be safe." He patted my shoulder. I nodded. I let out Bibarel, he was going to be my partner.

We entered the volcano.

It wasn't hot, like most would expect, it was like a normal cave. It was muggy however. Some light came in from the doorway, but not a lot. Brush gave each group a lantern, Ellena handed out matches.

The first area was a large 'room,' there were two hallways on either side of the room. Carrick took his group down the hallway to the far left, and the other two groups went down the hallway to the right.

Ellena and Brush led the way. It was quiet. We couldn't hear anything. _What does this mean?_ I thought. We came to another room with multiple hallways. Brush motioned to one, his group went down it. Ellena took Kedah and I down the other, her lantern leading the way. Halfway down, we heard something. We stopped.

Voices were heard. Ellena motioned for us to turn around. We hurried back down. We chose another hall. That one lead to three more hallways. We heard a boom. Carrick had placed his bomb. It was our turn.

Moments after, we heard yelling. I could hear Captain Steel's battle cry. Brush had met up with guards.

"Hey!" We heard. We turned around, a guard had found us.

"Take Down!" I commanded. Bibarel tackled the guard, he fell to the ground and passed out cold.

The three of us froze. It was our turn. _What do we do?!_ "Guys," Kedah whispered, "look." She pointed to the wall. A torch was lit and burning strong. That was, along with the guard that I attacked, proof that guards were around.

"Here _is _the best place." Ellena muttered. She looked at the three hallways. Then her eyes widened. "Three people, three sticks of dynamite, three hallways."

Kedah gasped. "Don't say it, Elle."

"We need to split up."

* * *

><p>I kicked the dust up in the air. I looked up at the sunset. Sun reflecting off the blue, beautiful water, the sky looked orange, purple and blue…Whatever, I didn't really care. I look at the sun, I see her. I look at the water, I see her. I looked at the dust on my running shoes and see <em>her. <em>She was everywhere. She took over my thoughts, dreams…Everything.

I growled and kicked a rock. It flew over to the volcano and bounced off it. I was in inner-turmoil with my stupid emotions. Emotions suck. And I've always been a wear-my-heart-on-my-sleeve guy, so it really sucks.

"Volkner," I turned around. Professor Rowan was coming my way. "You shouldn't beat yourself up over everything. You're angry, and you need to calm down." Rowan always saw through me. He knew me so well. We spent a lot of time together through the years.

"I know…" I trailed off. He continued his 'examination' or whatever. I walked a few feet away. My mind drooping back to its recent state…Revolving around her. _I should have said more than 'I hope you stay safe tonight.' And she even noticed my scar! And I acted like an idiot! Stupid man. _I face-palmed. I pushed my sleeve up and looked at my scar. That represented my past too greatly…I wasn't proud of my past.

One thing about scars: They never go away. Not just physically, but mentally. You can be mentally scared. And it never goes away. Ever.

I sighed. I looked towards the cave entrance. I debated going in after her, but I didn't. And yes, I _really_ regret it.

* * *

><p>"Split up?!" I echoed. "Are you kidding?!"<p>

Ellena looked at me. "Cynthia, you can do it." She pulled out a stick of dynamite. "Take this, go down that hallway, and light it. We'll go down the other two and light ours. Then, we'll go back to Brush's group and battle alongside them." She pushed the thing into my hands and pointed to one of the halls.

"I don't want to." I said.

"Well, you don't have a choice. Quickly, before we're caught." She gave Kedah one and gave us matches. "Quickly!" She repeated. She jogged down a hallway. Kedah looked at me.

"You can do it. We'll be waiting for you." She took down her hallway.

I swallowed all my fear and jogged down my hallway. I came to a small 'clearing' of sorts and decided that would be my spot. There was a torch on the wall there, too. I squatted and looked at the dynamite. I tried to light the match. It wouldn't light. _Come on! Come on!_ I thought. Sweat popped out on my forehead, I pushed my hood off my head and left my face uncovered. I heard something else and the floor shook underneath me. Their dynamite had gone off.

My match still wouldn't light. I looked up at the torch. _Oh, duh. _I stood up and lit the dynamite. I smiled and threw the dynamite down. I swiftly turned around. That's when I saw him. I gasped.

"Well, well, well…If it isn't Cynthia Marie."

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Note: <strong>Who is it who is it who is it?! Insert your guesses below!

So, I have been stressing over Volkner's character. I feel like I didn't quite make his right...What do yall think? And how did everyone like that POV change? I thought we needed a good change! You know, celebration of thirty (Really thirty-one) chapters. Speaking of which, how do we like the subtitle? It has a lot of meaning behind it. Deep.

Anywho, I used Miltank for the thing last chapter because...Picture a Miltank with angel wings. It's a funny thought. Meh. I'm immature...

Hey! Double update this weekend! Maybe it'll be triple update! ...I said maybe.

Thanks for reading! I love reviews!


	32. Traitor

_Chapter Thirty-one: Traitor_

_Fighting For Everything_

I was speechless, to say the least. My mind went numb. Why…What…_What_?! I was astonished. I didn't even think about the dynamite about to blow behind me. I just looked at his brown, almost black, eyes. I saw humor, confusion and something else in his face.

He opened his mouth to say something, then his eyes quickly cut behind me. He saw the dynamite. He reached over and grabbed my hand. He yanked me back down the hallway. When we got halfway down, I heard voices. He stopped. He swore silently. We took a few steps forward. It was completely dark, and I knew the stick was about to blow, I began to panic. Silently, of course.

I was pushed sideways. I felt around. I must have been pushed into a small crevice. I felt someone squish in next me, I assumed it was him. Well, half-assumed half-hoped. Our bodies were pushed together. He pulled me closer and held me. The ground shook and I could see fire trail down the hallway. The dynamite went off.

I heard yells and screams. I could hear people calling off commands to their Pokémon. _I need to be there. _I thought. Everyone counted on me and my Pokémon to help, too. Then another thought hit: Bibarel. _What happened to Bibarel?! _I couldn't remember where I last had him. I wasn't paying enough attention, most likely he died somewhere in some explosion…Probably mine. I held back tears.

"I need to be out there." I said, but I was muffled by his chest.

"No, you don't." He must have heard me.

I leaned back against the wall. It didn't make much difference, however, I was still pressed against him. It was pitch black. I was scared. I felt him touch my face. "Ember." I murmured.

* * *

><p>I crouched down behind a large rock with Professor Rowan. Guards were running out of the volcano. We heard a few explosions. My heart raced. "I should have gone in there!" I whispered.<p>

"No, you shouldn't have." Professor said. I respectively disagreed. Well…Maybe not respectively, I shot him an angry look. I peeked out from the rock. The guards poured into their ship. I looked towards the S.S. Steel, a guards threw a bomb at it. Once it hit the boat, it blew up.

"Holy crap!"

"That's not good." Professor Rowan remarked.

"You think?!" I looked back towards the entrance, waiting for her to run out…If she ever would.

* * *

><p>"I think the coast is clear. We need to get out of here." Ember said. I felt him try to get out.<p>

I reached for him and found his collar. I pulled him back. "No, we need to get to my group, they _need_ me."

"Your group walked right into a trap, Cynthia! The place is covered in guards! Three other guards were sent for your two little friends, and more are fighting the others! We need to get out! This place is going to be nothing but rubble soon." He grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the hiding spot. He had gotten stronger since the last time I saw him.

"Ember, listen to me—" Another bomb or something went off and shook the area around us. A few pieces of the ceiling fell to the ground. "…Let's go."

We rushed back down the tunnel, hallway thing. We had to maneuver around some debris as we went. Ember seemed to know where he was going…That or he was just really confident in himself. Knowing him, it could be the latter.

We came to a large area, I'd never been there before. "Ember this isn't the right way!"

"Yes it is, trust me." I looked around. There were all sorts of digging tools lying around and lots of torches on the walls, I could finally see decently. Ember looked around, there were two hallways.

I rolled my eyes. "You don't know which one, do you?"

"Maybe." He muttered. I looked at him. His face was covered in dirt and dust, mine probably looked the same, his red hair was flattened and dirty, and his clothes were just as bad. He wore a white and gold button-down and gold-colored pants…He never wore button-downs…Ever. I stepped in front of him to look at his shirt. I had a hunch, and I didn't want it to be true.

Sure enough, on the shirt was the Golden City logo. I gasped and covered my mouth. "No…"

Ember frowned and looked at his feet. "C'mon, we have to get out of here. Guards could be here any minute." He grabbed my hand and squeezed it tight. He picked a tunnel and grabbed a torch. We started down. I fixed my hood on my head, not wanting to be seen again, and grabbed Gabite's Pokéball. I was ready to fight if the time came.

The tunnel twisted and turned. "I don't think this is the right way…" Ember mumbled. _Sinnoh! Fantastic! _He stopped abruptly. He swore in a whisper. I heard voices. He let go of my hand. "Stay _right here_." He told me. Before I could protest, he took down the hallway, leaving me in the dark. Literally. I released Gabite. The Pokéball lit up and she materialized from the light.

"Gabite," I whispered, "could you shed some light on this?" She growled and used Dragon Claw. Her claw lit up. It wasn't a lot of light, but enough. "Good job. Now follow me." I walked passed her and down the hallway. _I don't care if he told me to stay, I'm going after him. _

I got to the end of the tunnel. A group of guards stood there. I jumped out. "Gabite, Dragon Rage!" My Pokémon obeyed without question and used Dragon Rage on them. They fell to the ground. Only one of them stayed down, the other three jumped back up.

"Dragon Claw." Gabite jabbed her claws into one of the guards' chest. He winced and slumped to the ground, death slowly coming. "Dragon Rage." Gabite made the other two fall to the ground as well. I looked around for Ember, he was nowhere.

I heard something and turned around, facing the tunnel I had come out of. Then I fell to the ground. I quickly rolled on my back. A guard had gotten back up. Gabite roared and tackled the man, he flew across the room and smashed into the wall. I looked at Gabite. She looked at me. "You saved my life…Thank you."

Ember ran into the room. He gaped at the sight. "What the?! Cynthia!"

"I panicked! You left me!"

"I—Never mind, we have to go!" He quickly yanked me back up and into the tunnel. He was running, I had a hard time keeping up. Gabite was behind me, not having any trouble keeping up. "This place is about to—" He got cut off when a huge explosion was heard. The tunnel shook. "Run!" We ran faster and harder. I saw light up ahead.

The light came closer and closer. Then, we were out.

I collapsed to the ground. Wanting to cry, but couldn't. A heard another explosion…But this time, it wasn't from a bomb or explosive. I looked up towards the mouth of the volcano. It was erupting. I scrambled to my feet and took a few steps back. The lava streamed down the sides, but not near us. That was the first, and last, time that erupted.

I met Ember's eyes. We took a step closer to each other and embraced. Gabite growled and pushed Ember away. I laughed. "He's alright, Gabite." We hugged again. He held me close and tight.

"We're safe now." He said in my ear.

_Are we_? I quickly stepped back. "How can I trust you?!"

"What?" He seemed genuinely hurt.

"You're _a guard_!" I pointed to his uniform. "You work for Lea! You're the bad guy!"

His gaze went to the ground. "Yeah I know."

"Yeah! What are you going to do now?! Sell me out to Lea! I'm a rebel! The _enemy_!"

"I'm not going to sell you out." He yelled. "I'm better then that!"

"Are you?!" I snapped.

"Yes! You know that!"

"I obviously don't! You're the one who got involved with _this_!"

"So did you!"

"…What?"

"You're involved too, Cynthia Marie. You're just playing for the other team."

I pursed my lips. That was true. "But…I had other reasons to. I wasn't just…Stupid!"

He frowned. "Stupid?! You don't know my reasons!"

"Then tell me." I had calmed down. "Just tell me."

He sighed; he began to calm down as well. "When I watched one of your gym battles…It dawned on me that I wasn't doing anything with my life except sitting around, and you're out there…Being _somebody_. I got really mad and stormed off. I don't know what my intentions were…But before I got to Solaceon, I met someone. Jeck was his name. He talked to me, told me that he knew of a way to solve my problems, he told me to join The Callousen."

"The Callousen?"

"Lea's guards. It seemed like a good idea…Anything seemed like a good idea. So I joined."

"Ember, you shouldn't have joined."

He frowned, his eyebrows met in the middle. "You just don't understand."

"That's true, but still, how could you take _his_ side?"

"I regret it now, okay? It was a mistake."

We were silent for a minute. "So what are you doing to do?"

"I'm not going to rat you out, if that's what you mean." He sighed. "I…Don't know. I'll lay low for a while, until Lea has been overthrown. Maybe he'll think I've died in the explosions and not go out looking for me. Maybe my commander has died. It doesn't even matter, no one will notice that I'm not there."

I thought of an idea. "Or, you could go back to the post and pretend to be on their side, when in reality you're on our side."

"Cynthia, look." He pointed to the volcano. It was done erupting. "Your side lost."

"…What?" My mind went back on track. "We need to find Rowan."

* * *

><p>I watched the guards take some of those rebels that hung around Cynthia. I didn't know their names. One was a girl with dark skin and big, brown hair, Captain Steel, and the other two were some guys. Not Cynthia.<p>

"I will not have this, fiend!" Captain yelled. The guards slapped his hand over his mouth.

"Where is she?!" I whispered.

"Volkner, you know Miss Cynthia, she's safe."

"You don't know that!" I snapped. The guards dragged the handful of rebels on the ship. It started to sail back to Canalave. I looked up at the volcano, it was done erupting.

"All that lava will turn the minerals I found into a substance…Most likely iron."

"This isn't the time for a science lesson, Professor." Me and Professor stood up and came out of our hiding spots. "I should try to find her." I started for the entrance.

Professor grabbed me. "No, look." He pointed to the side of the volcano. Cynthia, her Gabite and a guard were coming our way.

"Miss Cynthia! Look out! Guard!" I started sprinting towards them. I grabbed a Pokéball. "Raichu, go!" I released my trusty Electric Type. "Use—"

"No!" Cynthia yelled. I stopped. They approached me. "No! It's not what you think." Her Ponyta-tail was loose and her blonde hair was covered in dirt, along with her face and clothes.

"What in Sinnoh happened to you?! And why did you bring back _a guard_?!"

Cynthia looked up at the guard. "He saved me. He's an old friend from Celestic. Besides, he's a guard turned good. But never mind that, we have to get back in there and save them!" She turned towards the volcano. I leaned in to grab her, but the guard did it for me. Yeah…That wasn't cool.

"Miss Cynthia," Rowan started, "they're gone. It's done."

"What?! That's not right!" She slumped to her knees. Grief, pain and anger was easily seen on her face. "Gone?"

Rowan nodded. "The guards took Ellena, Tag, Carrick and Captain Steel on their ship. Everyone else, I presume, is left in the debris." He placed a hand on Cynthia's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"No!" She yelled. Tears started to stream down her face. She collapsed on the ground, sobbing. I wanted to do _something_, but I wasn't the best at consoling. I _wish_ I was…

Rowan crouched down. "Miss Cynthia, please get up. We should leave. Who knows if more guards are coming back." She sat up.

"We…Lost?" She said. You could hardly hear her.

"I'm sorry to say it but…Yes."

* * *

><p>I fell back to the ground in tears. I knew I was making myself look bad, but I didn't care. A group of people I had come to love was dead or taken captive. And I didn't run to their rescue, instead I hid in a hole while they were blown to bits. We <em>lost<em>.

"Well then I have to go save them." I said in-between sobs.

"They're going to be killed, Cyn." Ember said. "They're going to be imprisoned at the league, and then they're going to be interrogated until they die or until Lea gets the information he wants…And then they die."

"Then—Then you can go get them…You're a guard."

"It doesn't work that way. Besides, I'm done working for him. As of right now, I'm done." He reached up and tore his shirt off. He wore an undershirt…That really revealed his new arm muscles.

"Miss Cynthia, you need to get up. We need to get out of here." Rowan reminded. I nodded and he helped me up. I returned Gabite and let out Togekiss. Then I remembered Bibarel. More tears overflowed from my eyes.

"What?" Volkner asked. He came to my side.

"My—My Pokémon! He died in there!" I turned towards the dreaded volcano. I saw a brown thing slumping towards us. I gasped. "Bibarel?" I ran closer. It was really him. I wrapped my arms around him. He groaned. He was very wounded. That made me feel horrible. I returned him. "I am so sorry." I said to the ball. Volkner came over.

"Is he okay?"

"No…No he's not. I need to get him to the Center. Let's go." We walked back over. Ember had released a Staraptor and Rowan was already on Champ. Volkner hopped on Thumper with me, then we were off.

* * *

><p>An hour later we were in the forest outside of Canalave. It was very dark by then. We sat on the ground in silence. I was done crying over the rebels…I still felt awful, but my sorrow was now anger. More anger at Lea.<p>

"We should get to the Center. Let's have dinner and get a good night's sleep." Rowan suggested.

"I can't go into town." Ember said. "If I'm seen by a guard…I don't know what'll happen. I guess I'll campout tonight."

"Miss Cynthia, Volkner, we should get dinner at least. I'll buy. Ember, I'll bring you dinner as well." In the darkness I could see Rowan and Volkner stand up. I did the same. I took off my cloak and threw it on the ground. We went back into town and to the Center. I healed Bibarel then headed to the Mart with Rowan. We got a loaf of Pokébread and ate it quickly. I went back up to my room and took a nice, long shower. Washing all the dust and dirt off of me.

A while later, I laid in bed with Roserade. Bibarel laid on the floor. He was healed, but he had injuries that would never go away. A shed a few more tears…I knew what I had to do.

* * *

><p>The next morning I stood in the forest with Bibarel. Tears were streaming down my face. He stood there, confused. He cocked his head at me. I squatted down and scratched his head. "Bibarel…You've been such a great addition to my team. Without you I never would have made it this far. You completed my team." More tears came. "You were my first ever caught Pokémon, and my second Pokémon. I always felt bonded with you…" I stopped. It was getting hard. Bibarel hung his head. There was so much sadness in his expression.<p>

I hugged him. He groaned. "I don't want to make you fight anymore. I want you to have the easy life. There aren't any Pokémon hunters out here. And here you have a great ocean to go swim in." I stood up.

Bibarel inched closer. "No." I muttered. "No…Go away." He cocked his head. "Go away!" I yelled, sobbing hysterically. Bibarel laid his ears down and hung his head. He whined then walked away. I fell to my knees. That was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.

Ember came to my side. I had come out to his little camp. He wrapped his arms around me. I cried in his chest. "It's okay." He murmured. "It's been a long two days. You should rest." He grabbed my hand and led me to the katta tree he had called home. He climbed up on one of the branches. He reached his hand down. I grabbed it, he pulled me up next to him. I leaned my head on his shoulder and tried to calm down.

So many things had happened in the last twenty-four hours…For one, the rebels lost our war and I was the only one who came back. Another, I found Ember. And lastly…I released Bibarel into the wild. So many emotional things. I just wanted to crawl into a hole…But I wouldn't. I couldn't. I shouldn't.

That's exactly what he wants me to do. He wants me to give up. But now I have a reason to keep fighting, and I'm not going to stop.

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Note: <strong>What a sad chapter! The Bibarel goodbye really got me, I don't know about you. Hey! Did anyone see the Iron Island reference up there?! Ever wonder how it got its name? There you go!

So, this is the last time things will be in Volkner's POV. I wanted to get a glimpse at him because...There is a prequel! I have it on my profile, and I've had it up there for a while now, so that's why I have only hinted at his back story...Because there is one! Static! So Random-K, I hope that makes you happy!

Speaking of Random-K, I'll reply to your review now: _...There was a Hunger Games reference? Man, I apparently put so much Hunger Games things in my story that I don't even know about! Anywho, I hope that little thing up there (...Talking about Static) eased you a bit. That's why I didn't want to reveal anything. I have sat down and thought over Volk's personality! Alright...Let's try to explain this: Well, his past has left him scarred mentally, so there's a very angry and stern side of him. And there's also a sarcastic and 'snarky' side that pops out. The thing is, right now, everyone is a bit OOC because a lot of emotions are being thrown around. For some they're emotions they've never felt/don't know they're feeling...Does that make sense? Well, Cynthia wasn't unconscious, but I hope I didn't disappoint with how I did that! _

_Espeon: Hello! Well thank you for reviewing...I just wanted to clarify that I did not mean to 'steal' from you by adding a POV change, so keep that in mind! And yes...With wings! _

_Flubby48: Shucks! Thank you, I loved that chapter too. I think I nailed the emotions around also. And I got pumped, too! I wrote four chapters this weekend because I was so pumped. Hope I didn't disappoint. Thanks again! _

_DeathGoblin: I'm starting to beat you, you need to catch up! Anyway, let's just say there's a reason why romance isn't one of the genres. And I hope everything else was clarified in these two chapters. Thanks for the feedback! _

Alright, thank you awesome people for tagging along this triple-update weekend. I'm not sure when the next update will be, so stay tuned.


	33. Assumers

_Chapter Thirty-two: Assumers_

_Fighting For Everything_

I heard a banging noise. My eyes shot open. I sat up quickly. Someone was knocking on my door. Roserade, who occupied most of the bed, jumped up. "Get under the bed." I told her. She jumped down and crawled under. I stood up and rubbed my eyes. It was the early hours of the morning. I opened my door.

"Good morning, Sunshine!" Ember greeted. He waltzed into my room.

"Em, it's, uh, early." I closed the door and crossed my arms over my chest. "I was asleep."

"I know that! But no one in town was awake so I came over here." He lounged on the couch and rested his arms behind his head. "It's better than being in a tree. This way I can have better access to you guys."

Roserade jumped out from under the bed and started to lunge at Ember. "No!" I yelled. Roserade looked at me. "He's a friend." She jumped up on the bed.

"You really are a rebel." He laughed. "So, roomie, should we have a pillow fight or something?"

I rolled my eyes. "First of all, _no_, second of all, you're not my roommate."

He made a dramatic face and put a hand on his heart. "Cynthia Marie! I would never say something like that to you!"

"Shut up Ember." I teased. "Why are you in such a good mood anyways?" I sat on the bed and started petting Roserade. The day before was spent moping and being depressed. We all were separated. We needed to cope in different ways…I needed to train, so I did. Even though the whole time I was reminded that I was down a Pokémon…It helped me get over the rebel thing. Rowan spent the day at the library, he had to send out Brush's letter to his wife…After that, he was pretty upset too. I'm not sure how Volkner and Ember spent their day, but we were all grieving and emotional wrecks.

"It's a new day!" He said enthusiastically. Knowing Ember, he was over it all. He could adapt so well.

"You know you can't stay here, right?"

"Oh pish posh. Why are you being such a downer?"

"Because we can't share a room. Bunk with Volkner, at least that's ethical."

"No way. That dude is a creep-fest with extra anger. He might kill me in my sleep or something!"

"Come on, he's not _that_ bad."

He gave me a look. "Why are you defending him?"

"…What?"

"You're defending him. Why?"

"I'm not _defending_ him. I'm just saying he won't kill you in your sleep…Or any other time."

"How would you know what he does in his sleep?"

I frowned. "Ember, where are you going?"

"I'm just saying. You two aren't, you know, a thing, right?"

"Absolutely not!" I snapped. "Why in _Sinnoh _would you assume that?!"

"Good." He smiled. "And I don't know, you two seemed pretty tight. That's all. He talks about you like you're a saint, too."

I cocked my head. "What? He talks about me?"

"Yeah, yesterday we talked a little bit and he just speaks highly of you."

"Well I don't speak highly of him. Believe me."

"Good! Because like I said, creep-fest." I laid down on the couch. "So roomies?"

"Still no. Bunk with Rowan."

He snapped his fingers. "Dang. Oh well, better then Mister Extra Anger. Besides, Professor Rowan in like my idol…It could be fun." He stood up and left the room.

I laid back down to go to sleep. A few moments later there was another knock at my door. "Come in." Roserade quickly got under the bed. Rowan and Ember walked in.

Rowan was wearing a robe and looked like he just came out of bed. Ember was wearing a sheepish grin. "Did you send this to me?" Rowan pointed to Ember.

"…Yes." _What did he do?! _

"I woke up with him leaning over my bed staring at me. Return to sender." He left the room.

Ember chuckled awkwardly. "So roomies?"

I rolled my eyes. "Fine."

He went back to the sofa. "You know, I had to get up this early everyday in The Callousen."

I sat next him. "What was that like?" I hoped I wasn't crossing a boundary that wasn't supposed to be crossed when I asked that. We were best friends, after all. I didn't think there were a lot of boundaries.

"It was…Weird." He looked away. He was deep in thought. "I turned into a different person. It all feels like a big blur. I did things I never would think about doing…" He looked ashamed. "I really was the bad guy, and I liked it. I feel like I grew up though…But at the same time became more immature. I lost sight of the _right_ things. I lost morals and…" He sighed. He was done talking about it. I didn't pressure him for more information. I was just curious.

He met my eyes. "And when I saw you out there, it's like a rubber band snapped back into place in my head. I turned back into…Myself." He smiled. "I missed you."

"I missed you too. Everyone misses you."

"Yeah…"

"Are you going to go home?"

"I can't go home." His gaze fell to the floor. "I don't want anyone to know what I've done."

"No one has to know, Em. But your mother is sick. She's literally worried sick."

Hurt crossed his face. "I miss everyone, trust me. But I can't go back yet. I need to lay low anyways…Until you replace Lea."

I looked at the floor, too. "I may not be able to. You know that, right?"

"I believe in you." He looked up at me and smiled gently.

There was _another_ knock on the door. I sighed and walked over. I opened the door, Volkner stood there. "Hi." I greeted.

He stepped in. He frowned when he saw Ember. "Miss Cynthia, Rowan and I were headed to get breakfast. We were wondering if you would like to join…I didn't realize you weren't alone." His eyes cut to Em.

"We'll be down shortly." I said. Volkner nodded and left.

"See? Mister Extra Anger." Ember snickered.

I rolled my eyes. I walked into the bathroom and changed, then the two of us went down for breakfast.

Our breakfast consisted of bread and berry jam. It was quite good. Although it was awkward. Rowan was kind of uncomfortable with Ember, Ember was freaked out by Volkner, Volkner really didn't like Ember, and I hardly liked table-talk anyways, so it was quiet unless Rowan talked to me.

"Miss Cynthia," started Rowan, "I hope you're preparing for your journey to Snowpoint. The battle will be challenging."

"Yes I am. I'm not giving up, now I need to get to Lea more than ever." I used to be apprehensive to tell my plans to Rowan, but now I know he's one-hundred-percent on my side.

Rowan smiled. "Great, I love to hear that. I'll be heading back to Sandgem today. I suggest you leave soon as well. You know, get your head back on track."

I nodded. "I'll be leaving today or tomorrow. I agree."

"Ember, what will you be doing? Heading back to Celestic?" Rowan asked.

Ember was overly thrilled his idol talked to him. "I'm not sure. I might stay here, I might go somewhere else. I'll be a drifter for a while, I guess."

Rowan nodded. "Makes sense." He sighed. "I watched Jubilife News this morning…"

"And?" I pressed.

"They declared Captain Steel deceased. They said he drowned in a boating accident. Lea has declared him dead, that means…"

"Ellena and them are dead, too." I finished. My heart ached.

"My deepest apologies, Miss Cynthia. They were all such good people."

"Well, Lea _will_ go down. For them, for my grandfather, my parents...He will be stopped somehow, someway."

"I'm afraid that's harder than you think." Rowan said.

"I don't care. Lea's going down."

* * *

><p>The next few hours I spent in my room, half-sleeping half-thinking. Ember and Volkner went to see Rowan off. I said my goodbye. It was a simple goodbye and he patted my shoulder. Nothing too gushy.<p>

I crawled out of bed and threw my hair up in a bun. I went out to train in the forest. I decided to train as much as I could here, and only as much as I have to in Snowpoint. Training in the snow did _not_ sound fun.

I walked out to Embers 'camp' to see if he was there. He was. He was leaning against the tree, deep in though.

"Hey." I greeted.

He looked up at me and smiled. "Hey." He had his guard shirt in his hard. He looked down at it. "I think I'm going to throw this in the river…And never look back."

I looked over at my cloak. I had thrown it to the ground the other night and it lay there still. I went and grabbed it. "I'm right behind you." We walked out of the forest and to Route 218. There was the ocean that connected Canalave and Jubilife. You could see a ship headed for Jubilife in the distance.

We looked at each other, then threw our items out to sea.

"Why'd you throw your cloak?"

"The rebels are done…If I'm going to avenge them, I'm going to do it unmasked. I'm going to do it as me."

"I'm done being a Callousen. I'm _never_ going back."

"Why do you have to lay low? Why can't you just leave."

"It doesn't work that way, Cyn. I'm basically enrolled. You can't get out once you're in. If you try to leave, you normally die. Lea is vicious, he doesn't tolerate quitters."

I nodded in understanding. "I can see that. Are you worried they'll find you?"

"No. They won't pay enough attention. They'll assume me dead. But…Better safe than sorry." I knew Ember was avoiding going home. I would have, too. I was ashamed to admit it to Grandmother and Jamie when I quit. He's ashamed to see his parents. It's all understandable.

I looked at him. He was still wearing his undershirt. You could see his shoulder blades. There were red gashes covering them. I gasped. "Ember, what in Sinnoh is covering your back?"

At first Ember looked confused, but then he caught on. "Yeah…Those are marks from…Something."

"What?"

"Punishment in the Callousen."

I covered my mouth. Punishment, as in someone hitting him multiple time with some weapon. "Sinnoh! Ember!"

He pulled off his shirt and turned his back to me. His bare back was covered in gashes. I reached out and touched it. He winced.

"This is awful. Why didn't you leave sooner?"

"I told you…You change. You get into stuff, meet people, your head gets all off track." He put his shirt back on.

I hugged him. "Well I'm glad you're back."

We turned around and went back to the camp. Volkner was there when we arrived. He looked angry, great.

"Hey, I wondered where you went." He said to me.

"And we didn't wonder about you." Ember said. His tone came off aggravated.

Volkner cut his eyes at Ember, then looked back at me. "Do you want to train with me? I thought you could use some company."

Before I could answer, Ember spoke up. "I could be her company."

"I wanted to be." Volkner snapped.

"I was the one already being her company." Em growled. This was a side of him I had never seen. Just like when we were in the volcano. Unlike this morning, when he was normal. This must be the 'matured yet immature' side of him.

"I don't give—"

"Guys! _What_ are you doing?!" I stood in-between them. They both intensely stared at each other. "I know you aren't very fond of each other, but let's act mature here."

"I _am_ acting mature." Ember snapped.

"Shut up! She was talking!"

"Both of you shut up! I'm going to train alone."

"It's not safe out there." Volkner said. "I should go with you."

"Um, no." Ember stepped closer. "I was in The Callousen, I know what they think, I'm better to protect her."

"You don't know what I've been through, kid."

"Stop it! Ember, Volkner, both of you stay behind. I want to go alone. I think we can all agree that I can handle myself, I don't need a bodyguard. I'm strong." I stepped away. Volkner and Ember weren't following. I continued to my usual train-spot.

* * *

><p>I had finished up training with Milotic, Spiritomb, Togekiss and Gabite when someone approached me. "Volkner, I told you not to come out here."<p>

"He doesn't know I'm out here." He shrugged. "And what he doesn't know won't hurt him."

"I don't need protection."

"You do need company." He smirked.

I scoffed. "Rather not. Why didn't you leave with Rowan, anyway?"

"I wanted to stay here with you."

I blinked. "And why?"

His smirk grew. "Because you want me to."

I smacked my head. "Sinnoh, stop saying that. You know that's not true."

"Then you want Ember to stay?"

"What?"

"You have feelings for Ember." He said matter-o-fact.

"Absolutely not! He's my _friend_, friend! Why does everyone assume untrue things?!"

"Then he has feelings for you that aren't friendship."

"I seriously doubt that. We've been friends for a while."

"You _really_ don't have feelings for him?"

The honest answer…Was no. I truly didn't have anything but friendship feelings for Ember. I knew we got too close in the cave and we may have gotten too close other times…But it was because he wasn't thinking straight, and I wasn't thinking straight. I wanted comfort at the too-close times, not romance. "No. I really don't."

"Maybe you should tell him that."

I put my hands on my hips. "Why am I even telling _you_ this?! It's not your business! Just leave me alone." Sadness crossed his face, but he left.

I scoffed. _It really isn't that mans business. Of course I don't have feelings for Ember. I'm so tired of all these…These…Assumers! _

I continued training with Roserade. Everyone was doing good. Ever since the cave, Gabite was listening perfectly. I even saw signs that she may evolve soon. Milotic was obeying me most of the time, Spiritomb was doing greatly ever since my presence was banned, and Togekiss was fighting-ready.

It started to rain lightly when I headed to Ember's 'camp.' Volkner and Ember were sitting there, not looking at each other, in silence. When I approached, they got up.

"Hey." They said together, then gave each other dirty looks.

I just gave them weird looks. "What's going on here?" I was _very_ confused.

"Nothing." They said together again, and then gave the dirty looks.

I rolled my eyes. "You two are freaking me out. I have decided I'm leaving for Snowpoint in the morning."

"Okay, I'll…I don't know." Ember said.

"I don't know what I'll do, either." Volkner said.

"Good to know you all have your lives figured out." A voice said. We all turned and looked.

"Oliver!" I ran over to him.

Volkner and Ember were right behind me. "Who's this?" They said together. They had their protective faces on again.

"This is Oliver from Eterna."

"Hey, Cynthia." Oliver wore his usual apparel. He clutched the straps of his backpack and ran a hand through his green-tinted hair.

"This is Ember and Volkner." I introduced them since they were being rude. They weren't happy seeing Oliver.

"So Cynthia, what was that letter all about? You freaked Annie out."

"You showed Annie?!"

"Yeah, you said to get people to bring with me, I asked the few people I know and they all said no. But I'm here! Man, it took me forever to find you."

"Well, you're late." I said and chuckled. "The wars over."

"_War_?!" He echoed.

I gave him the rundown of the rebels and the war. When it was over, he looked a bit dazed. "Wow…That's a lot to take in." He muttered.

"You're telling me." I agreed.

"Then…I guess I wasted my time coming here, awesome." He ran a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, I'm sorry."

"But hey, I have some news on the…" He looked at Ember and Volkner, who sat quietly the whole time. "You know."

I knew he was talking about the statues. I nodded. "Let's walk and talk." We started walking through the woods.

"So Annie looked at them and she has a theory."

"That is?"

"She says they could have held the spirit of a Pokémon."

Well, that would explain a lot. "Are you sure?"

"Nah, you can't really be sure of that kind of thing. You know? And she says the drunken statue maker was nothing but your average fool, so it doesn't even make sense that he would have Pokémon-possessed gems." He chuckled, I fake laughed.

"Yes, that wouldn't make sense."

"Have you figured anything out?"

"Not really." I didn't want to go into the while 'I was possessed but now I'm not' thing with him.

"Oh…Well, I guess it's all just a freak thing. We looked into it too much."

"Yeah…I guess so." Fantina's words echoed in my head:

_ If it was Pokémon. _


	34. Partner

_Chapter Thirty-three: Partner_

_Fighting For Everything_

A while later, Ember, Volkner, Oliver and I sat in the Center lobby. The news was on the television there. They were going on about finding Captain Steel's replacement and how a memorial service would be held in the gym later today. They talked about how the island volcano erupting was the end of the raid. Ember agreed with this, he said that the guards, or Callousen rather, were done with their search anyway. When we came in and the volcano erupted, they were done.

That was music to my ears. Until Ember added the 'with the island' part after 'they're done.' Then that made me think of the places they had left. Celestic.

"I better write back home." Oliver said. He stood up. "Everyone's worried. I'm like, the first one to travel away to a big city." He grinned. "I like it here."

"I better go with you." I said. I started to stand.

"I'll go." Volkner volunteered. He got up and walked out with Oliver.

"I should probably get back to the woods, it wouldn't be a basket full of fun if I'm caught out here. Although most of The Callousen are gone now..." He smiled. "So I don't have to lay low." He relaxed back in the chair. "Maybe I'll stay here forever."

"No, you have to go home. Isis needs you."

He frowned. "I don't _have_ to do anything."

I didn't want to continue this conversation. I was afraid that I might talk him into _not_ going home by trying to talk him _into_ going home. So it was silent for a moment. My mind was still a bit hung up on the fact Ember was an ex-guard. It just so wasn't…Ember. He worked with Lea. Maybe not _with_ Lea, but on his side. It was a weird thought.

Then another thought hit, Ember probably knew where the guards were headed next. "Em, do you know where The Callousen are headed?"

He shook his head. "Nope. I'm not a commander, therefore I'm left out of the equation. Just asked to do the dirty work."

I sighed. "Well that plan is down the toilet."

"Besides, you shouldn't chase them anyways."

"And why not?" I was slightly offended.

"Cyn, you're outnumbered, out strengthened, out witted, the list goes on. The Callousen is this, a large group of men who search for something to fill the big, empty gap inside them and join more men with big, empty gaps and become cruel, lawless dudes who work for another cruel, lawless dude with tons of power…And the worst part is, they're _still_ just empty." Pain crossed his face. He closed his eyes. "Just…Stop. The only way you're going to prevail is by hitting the heart of it all, Lea."

"You're really putting pressure on me, Ember. I might not ever get that far."

"I believe in you. Besides, you're Cynthia Marie Everheart, the best person I know who can deal with pressure." He elbowed me and grinned. "You'll get there. Just don't get distracted with The Callousen."

"I know I shouldn't chase the guards…But I feel like I have to. The rebels took on the approach to hurt the guards, and that would hurt the heart."

"But that's not good enough. You need to take it to the next level. That level just so happens to be safe. I mean, c'mon, you beat the next two gyms, the Elites, and then you're face-to-face with Lea. If you win, you'll have to take the title. It's law. The way it goes. There's no sneaking and rebelling and wars. Just battles."

When you look at things from Ember's point of view, everything seems possible. I smiled. "I'll beat him."

He grinned and laughed. "That's my girl!"

I chuckled. Then decided I needed to get another serious matter taken care of. "Ember…I need to tell you something."

He noted my serious tone. "What is it?"

"I…I don't have feelings for you that's more than friendship. I know it may have seemed that way, but it wasn't fully intentional."

Ember smirked. "I know you don't, Cyn."

"You do?"

"Yeah, I know you look at me as just a friend and nothing more. I wish you didn't, though."

"I'm sorry."

"It's alright. I'll get over it. I think the best thing to do is…Leave. Get away from…Well, you."

Yes, that hurt. "I understand." I truly did understand.

"My head still isn't on straight. The problem is…I don't know where to go. I'm not ready for home yet…"

I placed a hand on his shoulder. I could feel his scars on my fingertips. "You'll get everything settled. Trust me." He looked up into my eyes. There was so much sorrow in his brown eyes, much like Volkner's. When I looked into Ember's eyes, it was really like I could see into his soul. His torn down soul. I touched his cheek. "I wish I didn't, too." I murmured. That was the truth. I really wished that I had felt differently, but there was nothing I could do to change how I felt. Ember was one of my closest friends. One of my true friends.

He closed his eyes and tried to hold back tears. I scooted closer to him on the sofa, my hand still on his face. Then his lips met mine.

"I know that didn't change your mind." Ember said.

I looked away, moved my hand and shook my head. "No, it didn't." I heard the door open. I looked over. An overly enthusiastic Oliver and an extra aggravated Volkner walked over.

"The post office is so cool here! And I'll have to come back when the lighthouse is reconstructed, that thing looks awesome!"

Volkner rolled his eyes. "We had to take a tour of the town while we were out."

"Yeah! And it was awesome!" Oliver plopped down next to me on the couch. "You guys must have been so bored. We were out having all the fun!"

I felt my cheeks heat up. "You weren't gone _that_ long."

"Yeah, _fun._" Volkner scoffed and sat down on another seat.

"Hey, you had fun, just admit it Grumpy Pants."

Ember chuckled. "Nice one."

Volkner scowled. "I think I'm going to get some food then head to bed." He stood up and left towards the Mart.

"Grub does sound good about now." Oliver's stomach growled in agreement. "Yeah, I'm ready for some eats. Do you guys want to find something?"

Ember and I said yes and we went to a small shop on the other side of town. Oliver and I ordered vegetable wraps, and Ember started to order a Magikarp sandwich, but when the two of us gave him strange looks he changed to the vegetable wrap and whispered "Callousen diet" to us. We got our food and sat down at a table.

"I'm going to have to get back into the vegetarian way." Ember commented.

"My sister hates meat. She raised me and my brother hating meat, too. I don't think I could eat meat even if I wanted to." Oliver grimaced. "Too weird."

"I don't know, you get use to it." Ember shrugged. "You feel very powerful when you're hopped up on meat. It gives you lots of energy. That's half the reason why I was so different…There."

"Makes sense. But I'm happy with my leafy-life." Oliver laughed. I laughed with him. I stayed quiet through our little conversation. I was a bit embarrassed over the whole Ember thing, and frankly I was distraught over it. My heart ached to think of it. I knew I was hurting him and…I didn't want to. Not because I had feelings for him, but because he was my dearest friend.

We finished up and went back to the Center. It was pretty late around that time, so we called it a night. Ember bunked with Oliver, so I had my room to myself. I took a long shower and crawled into bed with Roserade. Thumper still pouted over the fact he couldn't share the bed with me, but he happily lounged on the floor. They were really the only Pokémon I could have out. Spiritomb was too…Scary to have out, Milotic was too big, and Gabite, well, was Gabite.

My mind was still revolving around Ember and slightly around the rebels. I also dreaded flying to Snowpoint. My second time flying, _alone, _over Mt. Cornet and such a long distance…It would be fun.

But eventually I cleared my mind and slipped into a nice sleep.

* * *

><p>The next morning I woke up quite groggy. I quickly got ready for the day by changing into my black sweater, long black pants and my black snow boots. I was ready for Snowpoint. I slung my bag over my shoulder and went down to the lobby.<p>

Ember and Oliver were sitting on the couch, laughing and high-fiving each other. Volkner sat in the chair with his arms crossed looking like he would actually kill them in their sleep. I approached them.

"Hey, Cynthia." Oliver greeted.

"Hey!" Ember said in-between laughs. Volkner nodded his greeting. We all walked into the dining room and had a quick breakfast. After, we walked outside the Center.

"So, Cynthia, what are you going to do?" Oliver asked.

"I'm headed to Snowpoint for my next gym."

"Cool, cool. I'll be leaving for Eterna today, I'll tell Annie you said hello."

"Please do, thanks." I looked at Volkner. "I'm assuming you're going to Sunyshore." He shrugged and bit his lip. I hated the way he was treating me, but I probably deserved it.

"I still don't know what I'm doing." Ember sighed.

"Hey!" Oliver jumped up. "I know what you can do!" He was very enthusiastic.

"What?!" Ember matched his enthusiasm.

"Why don't you come with me to Eterna! There are hardly any guards there, and you'll love it. My sister totally won't mind. And, me and Cynthia write each other a lot so you guys can keep tabs. It'll be great!"

It makes perfect sense that they would turn into great friends, they were so alike. And I liked the Oliver-Ember arrangement.

"You know what, that's a great idea." Ember grinned. "Roomies?" He held out his hand.

"Roomies!" They high-fived. I rolled my eyes and laughed.

We walked through the woods and towards Route 218. Oliver and Ember joked around the whole time there, so there wasn't any chit-chat being done. When we got out of the forest, the morning boat had just arrived. Ember pulled me away.

"Well, Cynthia Marie, I guess this is goodbye." He smirked.

"We'll see each other soon."

"I still have to beat you." His smirk turned into a grin.

I scoffed. "You're not going to beat me. I have gym-ready Pokémon, and you don't." I poked his chest.

"You want to bet?" He laughed and reached into his small, green bag. He pulled out a Pokéball. "The Callousen made us have fight-ready Pokémon. I have three. A Staraptor, a Ponyta and this one. They made us train our own, but they gave me already evolved Pokémon, so I was terrible at it. The only one I could train was Ponyta. Staraptor hardly listened, but I got him to work. And this one I never had any luck with. My commander said she was once bonded with a lady, so she only listens to females. You can probably guess my problem." He laughed. "So I want you to have her."

"What?" I was dumbfounded.

"She doesn't listen to me at all…Angry because we stole her from an innocent lady. You could have more luck with her. She's evolved to her last state and is pretty tough. And it's a reminder of me!" He grinned.

I laughed and took the ball. "Thank you so much. What is she?"

"A Lucario."

"Ember!" I looked over. Oliver was waving his hands on the boat. "We're about to set sail! C'mon!"

Ember looked at me. We hugged. "Bye Cyn." He said.

"Goodbye Em." He ran off towards the boat. He got on and the boat started to sail away. He waved and grinned. I did the same. My heart hurt watching him go, but I knew him and Oliver would have a great time together. He was safe, that's what mattered. He would recuperate into old Ember, and then go home…Hopefully. Now, it was time to get to Snowpoint.

I stopped waving and looked over. Volkner stood at the docks, watching me. I sighed and walked over. "Are you still upset?" I asked. Aggravation leaked in my voice.

"I guess not."

"Why didn't you get on the boat with them? You'll have to wait for the night boat if you want to get home today." He didn't say anything. My anger grew. "Do you even have a Flying Type? Are you expecting me to fly you there? If that's the case, get another ride."

"Miss Cynthia, that's not the case. I'm not that big of a jerk." He frowned. "I was going to go to Snowpoint with you."

"What?!" I yelled. "You can't just _invite _yourself to come with me!"

"You mean I'm not invited?" He smirked.

"No."

"Well then." He continued smirking. "So you're going to fly there alone?"

"Yes."

"Do you even know how to fly?"

"Of course!"

"Really? How many times have you flown, approximately?"

"…Once." I muttered.

"With Professor Rowan, right?"

"I'm a good learner." I murmured.

He chuckled. "Thankfully, _I've_ been to Snowpoint quite a few times. It's a hard trip there. Mt. Cornet is a terrible place to fly over, but there's no other way there. Unless we walk, then it's even more of a suck-fest. I may not have a Flying Type, but Togekiss is enough for both of us."

I scoffed. "Why don't you have your own Flying Type?!"

He shrugged. "I don't like them."

"Why? Flying Type's are one of the most noble Pokémon ever. Just take Champ and Rowan, they're inseparable. And Thumper and I, we're close."

"They're not my type."

"Fine, whatever."

"So I'm going with you?"

I frowned. _He would be helpful…And I would hate flying alone. _I rolled my eyes. "I guess so."

He slightly smiled. "Great. When should we get on the road?"

I reached into my bag and pulled out my trusty map. I unfolded it and took a look. "We should leave as soon as possible. It looks like we should head in Celestic's direction."

"No, we should head in Eterna's direction. If we go to Celestic's side it'll take longer, be harder and we'll most likely hit a blizzard."

I rolled my eyes. "Fine. We'll head towards Eterna and stop in there."

"Do we have to?"

"It's a good stopping point. We can heal up Togekiss and get something to eat."

"And see your little boyfriend?"

I shot him a mad look. "Volkner, he isn't my boyfriend. They probably won't even be there when we get there. We won't see them anyways. We'll just get food and leave. If we're going to be travel partners, you can't just _assume_ untrue things. Got it?"

He nodded. "Yep. I'll only assume true things."

I rolled my eyes. "How about we don't assume at all and be mature?"

"But that's not as fun." He smirked.

"I don't care. We need to get along."

"I agree. So, let's head to Eterna."

* * *

><p>Hours later we stopped in Eterna. Volkner was rushing me, probably because he didn't want to see Ember and Oliver at all. We got something small to eat and gave Thumper a break. Then we started over Cornet.<p>

At first it was fine, but after a few hours we hit fog. That was nerve-racking. Then it got worse. We hit snow. I was pretty used to snow, Celestic got lots of the stuff in the winter, so it wasn't a big deal, but flying through it was awful. Snow and fog was a bad combination.

"Are we going the right way?" I asked Volkner. He was the official map-holder.

"Duh, of course we are."

We continued on. We started having to fly higher. The snowfall turned into blizzards…With hail. Togekiss started to fly slower. "Thumper, we need to get through this, come on." He groaned. "I think he's tired."

"What?! Now?! Can't we at least try to get out of the blizzard?"

"I don't think he can hold off. Start looked for a spot to land." A few minutes later we landed. It was a grassy, and snowy, area. Togekiss plopped to the ground; I returned him. Luckily the blizzard had died down. "We'll let him rest for a bit."

Volkner studied the map. "Well, the good news is the blizzard isn't that bad, the bad news is I have no idea where we are, but I'm positive we're off trail…And lost."

* * *

><p><strong>DeathGoblin: Thank you, I try to add in humor...I feel like it makes it a good read. Yes, I'm glad Gabite and Cynthia aren't such jerks to each other, too. <strong>

**Guest: Volkner is Cynthia's age. I try not to say exact ages, I feel that complicates things. Sorry for confusion there. You know what I think is funny? I sit here and read reviews that say "Oh, I bet there's a back story about that!" "Oh, there must be a plot twist!" And I'm like...No...Hehe...I find it humorous. **

**Shiro No Kishidan: WELCOME! It disappoints me that everyone thinks this is 'just like' the Hunger Games. That wasn't supposed to be. Seriously. I think I have enough elements of my own, however, so this isn't 'just like' Hunger Games. Anywho, sorry I put you through that rant, thanks for the review!**

**Here's a fun fact: In chapter three (Silence) Ellena's mother Esmeralda says this: "Sake told me all about the rebels and I completely get it." Did anyone catch that?! I felt so sneaky putting that in. Mwahaha, one point PG, no points readers! **

**Thanks for reading! **


	35. Snowpoint

_Chapter Thirty-four: Snowpoint_

_Fighting For Everything_

"Lost?" I echoed.

"Yeah."

"This is just great! Just a basket full of fun!" I threw my hands into the air.

"Miss Cynthia, calm down."

"I know where we're going, duh we're going the right way!" I tried to imitate Volkner's voice.

"I don't talk like that."

"I don't care, Volkner! We are lost in the middle of a mountain in a snowstorm!"

"If we get back up in the air I'm sure I can figure it out."

"_No_, you're not the official map holder anymore." I snatched the map from his hand. It ripped a little when I did it.

"See what you did!" Volkner snatched the map back. "I know what I'm doing."

"Really? Because it doesn't seem like it!" The snow picked up. "Fabulous! It's a blizzard! Thumper isn't ready to fly again, either."

"Well it's partially your fault for insisting we land! Your so-called _Flying Type _can't even fly!"

"He flies greatly! He just got tired! At least he didn't get us lost! We should have gone to Celestic, like _I_ wanted."

"Miss Cynthia, you really need to calm down." Volkner looked behind me.

"I'm perfectly calm!" I snapped. Then, something roared behind me. I slowly turned around. A huge Pokémon stood there. It roared again and hail started to plummet down.

"Raichu, go!" Volkner released his Pokémon.

I reached into my bag and pulled out Gabite. "Gabite, let's go."

"Thunderbolt!" Raichu focused and electricity exploded out of its body. It zapped the opponent, it roared and shot ice at Raichu.

"Dragon Rage!" Gabite spewed the blue power at the huge Pokémon. It growled and turned away. It ran off, shaking the ground as it did. "What in Sinnoh was that?!"

"Mamoswine. Only some of them roam out here."

"Lovely. Now we're around giant Pokémon who does not like company." We returned our Pokémon.

"How long does it take your Pokémon to get ready?"

I looked up at the fog-filled sky. It was getting very dark rapidly. "We should probably make camp and start out in the morning."

"The fog will only get worse, _Miss_ Cynthia."

I rolled my eyes. "It's too dark to fly. Let's just make camp."

"How? We don't have camp gear."

"Look for a tree."

"…There are no trees around here."

"Then we should…" I bit my lip. I had no idea what to do. The only camp thing I had was my canteen, which I left back at home. I didn't even have blankets or tents or anything. "Make a fire." That was the only camp-thought that popped into my head.

"Yeah, with what? It's snowing, there's no wood around, and we don't even have a Fire Type to help."

"I don't know." I wrapped my arms around myself. My shivering multiplied.

Volkner put on a thinking face. "I have an idea. Stay here." He started walking away. The last time I heard 'Stay here' I ended up killing four men…I started following Volkner.

"There's no way I'm staying back there alone."

"Miss Cynthia, please cooperate, I just want to look for firewood. There has to be something around here. Start making a camp…Somehow."

I listened and stayed back. I started 'making camp' by letting out Gabite. She used Dragon Claw and gave me a little light. I searched through my bag for anything. I found my scarf, I wrapped it around my neck. I found a flashlight that somehow appeared in my bag, and another one of my sweaters. I pulled it over my head for extra warmth. I doubled up on socks and used some for makeshift gloves.

That's the only thing I did for our 'camp.' Volkner came back, both him and Raichu with handfuls of wood. He looked around. I grinned sheepishly. "…Where's camp?"

I fake laughed. "I…Uh…"

"Right." He plopped the stuff down. He had a small travel bag with him. He opened it up and pulled out an old, green blanket. "Raichu, clear out a spot." Raichu used his tail and cleared the snow from a large area. Volkner spread out the blanket. He took off his blue jacket and put a sweater over his shirt. He began adding layers to his apparel as well. It was _cold._ "Raich, put together a fire." At the bottom of our snowless spot, Raichu put some twigs together then lit it with electricity. I sat next to the fire and tried to warm my frozen body.

Gabite came up with me and Volkner soon joined. "We should probably get to sleep while the fire's still burning."

"What if a Mamoswine comes back?" I asked.

"One of our Pokémon will have to keep watch. Raichu and Gabite can take shifts. We, however, need to sleep so we can get up and get to Snowpoint."

I agreed. I was pretty tired, flying was not only nerve-racking but tiring. The fire gave a lot of light. Volkner gave me a weird look.

"What?" He was staring at me.

"Your scarf."

"…Yeah?" I looked down. My scarf was still wrapped around my neck and shoulders.

"It's pink." He made a face.

My silk scarf was indeed pink. "My friend Jamie made it for me…Do you have something against pink?"

"Not really, but don't you?"

"What?" I wasn't following.

"You wear nothing but black, and now you're wearing a pink scarf…It just doesn't make sense."

I rolled my eyes. "It's warmth, right now I don't care about fashion. Only staying warm."

"I really wish we had a tent. That would make tonight a whole lot easier."

"Agreed, but we don't."

We sat next to the fire a bit longer. Soon Volkner laid down on the blanket to sleep. I thought that was a good idea and started to lie down…Until I realized how small the blanket was. I would be sleeping right next to him. And that wouldn't only be awkward but pretty miserable.

I moved to the other side of the fire, and to the snow side, and laid down. The ice and snow wasn't comfortable bedding.

"Miss Cynthia, why are you sleeping over there?"

"Because."

Volkner sighed. "Just come over here."

"No, I don't want to."

"Now who's being immature?"

"What?" I scoffed.

"The mature decision here would be for you to come and sleep on the blanket."

"Maybe the mature decision is for us to sleep separately." I snapped.

"Can you at least pretend to like me?!" He yelled.

"It would be hard." I muttered.

"Apparently." He sat up. "You're going to freeze to death. Just come here."

"No!"

"Just do it!" He yelled.

I scoffed and stood up. I stomped over to the blanket, threw my bag down and used it as a pillow. I turned away from him and crossed my arms over my chest. My anger towards him rose. _Why did I ever let him come along?! He's nothing but aggravating. I should have sent _him _on the boat with Oliver! _I shivered and curled up into a ball. It was miserably cold. _Without him, I wouldn't have been in this mess. Right now I could be in Celestic, in the warmth. Then in the morning I would have a nice smooth ride to Snowpoint. But _no_, I have to be lost with Volkner! He's just…So…So…Stupid! And arrogant. So arrogant. _Gabite came and sat next to me. She leaned her back on me, that warmed me up a bit. Dragon Type's, much like Fire Type's, are naturally warm all the time.

I couldn't help but shiver more though. Secretly I hoped Volkner was this cold. I know that was me being mean, but I wasn't a happy camper at that time. I was aggravated, cold, sad, and frankly blazing mad. Aggravated that we were lost, mad at Volkner for being…Himself, and sad that Ember left. But at the same time, I was relieved. I knew I would never feel _that_ way for him. And he understood that. He would go to Eterna and have a great time with Oliver. He'll probably see Oliver's family and miss his own and go home.

Of course, that's me hoping too much.

I felt myself start to drift off. I was still terribly cold, but not as much thanks to Gabite. Something wrapped around me, my eyes fluttered open. Volkner had wrapped his jacket around my shoulders. As nice as the gesture was, I was still mad at him. Just a bit less.

My anger started to cool and sleep soon found me.

* * *

><p>The sensation of snow falling on my face woke me up. I was still tired and groggy, and it was still dark. I presumed it was only a few hours later. Gabite was asleep next to me, and radiating heat. I inched closer to her. I looked towards the fire, it wasn't burning anymore. I sat up to get Raichu to light it, but he wasn't around. Neither was Volkner. "Great." I muttered.<p>

I stood up. My bones felt frozen and stiff. I didn't have a good night's sleep last night. "Volkner?" I yelled. I saw light in the distance. I quickly reached in my bag and pulled out my flashlight. I clicked it on and went towards the light.

Volkner stood there with Raichu. The Pokémon had a ball of electricity in his hand, creating light. That was pretty interesting.

"Good morning." Volkner said bluntly. He had a few sticks in his arms. "I went to collect more firewood. Why are you up?"

"Because you left and I got worried." I was very relieved that he was okay.

"I thought you hated my guts?"

"Hate…Is a strong word." I murmured.

"Right. Sunrise has to be soon, do you want to start flying?"

I nodded. "That's probably best." We walked back to camp. I returned Gabite and gathered my things, Volkner did the same. I released Togekiss. He jumped up and down happily. "Ready to fly?" He chirped and nodded.

We got on Thumper and took off into the sky.

It was snowing lightly and was pretty foggy, but Thumper did good dodging parts of the mountain that stuck out. Volkner was right, the sun started rising soon after we started flying.

"Miss Cynthia?"

"Yes?" I asked.

"Why do you hate me so much?"

I sighed. "I don't hate you."

"Well you don't like me."

"I don't like you a lot, no. But I don't hate you."

I couldn't see his face, but I was afraid that I had hurt him. That was something I didn't really like doing to two people at once.

"I don't know why you like that flame-head more than me." Volkner said, anger laced his tone.

I scoffed. "Because he's not so aggravating and is easier to live with!"

"_Not_ aggravating?! Please, he even looks aggravating."

"That's not true, he's much better than you!" I yelled. Thumper dipped down quickly and turned to the side. I slipped off and started falling. Volkner grabbed my hands and pulled me up. I re-situated on the Pokémon and got Thumper to rise up again.

"You're welcome." Volkner snapped.

"Thank you." I muttered.

"What happened to us needing to get along to make this work?"

"I don't know!" I yelled.

"It's all your fault, Miss Cynthia."

"_My _fault?!" I wanted to yell at him more, but something snapped in my head that that would be such an immature thing to do. I closed my eyes for a moment and let my anger douse. "You're so right, I apologize."

Volkner sighed. "No I'm not, that was the anger and lack of sleep talking. I'm sorry."

"I think we're both wrong here. We're both sleep-deprived and have a lot on our shoulders." I said.

"Yeah. Besides, I know you like me." I could just picture Volkner smirking.

I couldn't help but laugh. Now that was so funny, because I knew I didn't like him anymore then a friend. But he was a friend, at least. "You're dreaming." I teased.

"Am I?" He chuckled. We laughed and continued to our destination.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, Volkner spotted what he said was Route 217. We landed and I returned Togekiss. It was snowing heavily, and it was still quite dark even though the sun came up a while ago. "Looks like it will take an hour of walking to get there." Volkner estimated.<p>

"Alright, I'm hungry, let's get walking." We started trekking through the ankle-deep snow. It wasn't fun, but it wasn't miserable.

Soon, we came across a giant wall. There was the Golden City logo painted of it. "What is that?" I wondered.

"It's blocking Lake Acuity. Lea doesn't want anyone going there because it messes with your mind. Apparently, Lake Acuity can give you such a bad headache your head explodes."

"That's not good."

"Nope."

"Don't you ever wonder that there's more behind it?"

"Oh, I know there's more behind it."

I looked at him. "You do? Than what's the secret?"

"I'm not sure what the secret is, but I do know Lea is so superstitious that the lakes scare him. Same with Snowpoint, it is said to be on sacred ground. So Lea has only been there once. To beat the gym. There's a temple there that he's scared sick of."

"Then maybe we'll have to check that temple out." I smirked.

Volkner looked at me. "You're not a rebel anymore, Miss Cynthia. You shouldn't put yourself in danger."

I sighed. We started walking. "You're right…I'll just wait to defeat Lea after I'm done with the Elites."

"You have to beat me first." Volkner smirked.

"I'll beat you, don't worry."

"I'm not going to let you win."

"Same to you." I grinned. "But I'll still win."

After a while we came across boating docks. "Snowpoint Docks, we made it." Volkner said.

I smiled. I was so thankful that trip was _over._ We quickly walked forward until we came to building. We were officially in Snowpoint.

Snowpoint seemed like a small city. It currently wasn't snowing, but snow covered the ground. The houses and buildings looked old-fashioned. Lanterns hung outside every house. The light reflected off the snow and sparkled beautifully, giving the city an enchanted feel.

"This place is beautiful." I commented.

"Yeah, it's nice out here. C'mon, let's get to the Center."

We walked towards the big orange building, which stuck out like a sore thumb, and found the Mart. We bought soup and quickly ate it. It warmed us up nicely. We went to the Center, got our rooms, and happily went to bed.

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Note: Oh geez, I'm extremely sorry for the huge delay. Busy doesn't even begin to describe my life. It's more like ultra-busy, or something like that. I know you all waited so long and I gave you this crap chapter. I apologize. I could have done so much better, but I promise next chapter will be better. I don't know when the next update will be, but I hope to get the rest of the next chapter written today. (My day off, thankfully.) My 'system' is that I have to write the next chapter before I post the chapter ready to be posted. Does that make sense? Didn't think so. Example: before I posted chapter thirty, I had to fully write chapter thirty-one. Before I posted chapter thirty-one, I had to write chapter thirty-two. That way, I have a push to write the chapter, because I have a chapter sitting in my documents, waiting to be read. It also helps me with the story-line and all kinds of stuff. But since I made you wait, I'm posting this chapter even when chapter thirty-five isn't complete. <strong>

**And now I just wasted your life with that long paragraph. Heh. I'm a long talker. Anyway, check out my profile for a new poll, I really am curious as to what yall like the best, so vote. I updated my blog today with (What I think is) a funny story...So yeah. And maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to update again this weekend. Updates WILL start being regular again. So never fear!**

**On another note, I was actually kind of disappointed that no one commented on The Callousen at all, or how Ember was a part of it. That's something I've been planning since day one, so I was SO EXCITED to write it! Also, TCB is now over 10,000 hits! And the winning chapter for most reviews is chapter one, with eighteen! Hurrah! And the runner up is the last chapter with six reviews! I thank you all for your awesome support/advice/everything else. Much love to you all. **

**Thanks for reading! *Whoops, at first I forgot to add the blue line thingies, but now they're added. I hope I caught it in time and no one had to go through without them. **


	36. Old-fashioned

_Chapter Thirty-five: Old-fashioned_

_Fighting For Everything_

A light flurry surrounded Gabite and I as we trained. Because she was obedient, now that she saved my life and all, I wanted to thoroughly train her. She helped me train Lucario as well. She was in fact a girl, just like Ember had said, but she wasn't terribly disobedient. She seemed quite sheepish and shy. But she listened well and was tough. Training a Steel Type was easier than I thought. I assumed it would be like training a Dragon, turns out I was wrong. Lucario was actually trainable. I got excited for the gym.

"Alright Gabite, you did well." Gabite nodded her head. She was so tall and tough, she would evolve any moment now. I hoped she wasn't trying to postpone it again, but that's what I felt was happening. She should have evolved a while ago, but was purposely holding herself back. Why? I didn't know. She just was.

I returned my Pokémon and turned towards Snowpoint City. I thought it was about lunchtime, Volkner and I agreed to meet up at the Mart for lunch. I adjusted my winter jacket and started my trudge through the ankle-deep ice.

Once I made it into the town, it started snowing heavily. Apparently that was typical, or so said one of the locals we talked to. A bit of flurry in the morning, and then once noon hits a blizzard hits. That would explain why everything was coated in the white stuff.

The only way you could make it through the town was by the lanterns at every door. Houses sprinkled the town; there were no big buildings except for the Mart, Center, gym and temple. The last two, however, I haven't even seen yet. They were on the outskirts of the town.

The lanterns would shine so bright you could see them through the snow, and it practically made a perfect pathway to the Center, boat docks and Mart. Therefore, it was an easy-to-navigate city.

Soon I made it to the Mart. I walked in and warmth from the fireplace smacked my freezing face. Volkner stood nearby, he smirked and came over. "Hey." He greeted.

"Hello." I unbuttoned my coat and unwrapped my scarf. He handed me a loaf of Pokébread.

"I got you lunch."

"Thanks." We hadn't talked much since we arrived the day before, we woke up, agreed to meet up for lunch and went our separate ways. I broke off half of the warm bread and handed him one half. We began eating.

"I talked to some locals. I tried to find information on the Leader."

"Haven't you battled her?" I asked. Why would he need to get information if he knew her?

"Yes, but she's…Weird."

"How so?" I asked in-between bites.

"She changes her Type's a lot. Apparently, she believes that Pokémon are made to be free, so she has her set for a while, then sets them free for a new set. When I fought her, she had Psychic Types. Last I heard, she had Water Type's. I asked around and found out that when she heard about you, she got a new set of Type's, and kept it a secret. No one knows."

"That is weird. I bet that means she's really strategic."

"Yes she is, but so are you." He smirked.

"I guess I am…But not knowing what I'm getting into…That's kind of scary."

"Is there a Pokémon Type you can't beat? You have a Water Type, Grass Type, Flying Type, Ghost Type, Fighting Type, and a Dragon Type. Unless she's a Dragon trainer, I wouldn't be worried."

He had a point. I grinned. "You're right. I'm not worried." I kept eating the bread.

"I also asked about the temple you were so interested about."

"And?" I perked up at that. The temple interested me, and I wasn't sure why.

"There are two people we can talk to, the Snow Sisters. They're ancient and know everything about everything, as long as it has to do with Snowpoint."

"Great, where can we find them? I would like to talk to them as soon as possible."

"That won't be hard." He turned to the side and pointed to the check-out counter. Two old ladies stood behind it. They looked completely identical, I assumed they were twins.

"What are we waiting for? Let's talk to them." I stuffed my last chunk of bread in my mouth and walked over to them. Their skin was covered in wrinkles, paste-white like they've never seen the sun, and so droopy their eyebrows hung over their eyes. "Hello." I greeted. I was a bit hesitant, they were so old I felt intimidated.

"Hello! How may we help you?" The sisters said in unison. They were very cheery.

"We wanted to ask a few questions about—" Volkner got cut-off.

"Snowpoint? We're the right sisters!" They said together…Again.

"…Yeah." Volkner wasn't too happy about the interruption.

"Let's start with Snowpoint's origin." The way they talked together was a bit freaky. They walked together over to the wall behind them. They pointed to the old picture. It was a white background with yellow dots. "That is Snowpoint. The snow is so thick, the only things you can see are the shimmering lanterns. The lanterns represent the citizens of Snowpoint, we shine through the snow. Long ago, when me and my sister were just babies, Snowpoint Tribe was born. It was founded by a small group of travelers, who were lost somewhere on Cornet. They said that a mysterious light led them here, where it was safe enough to make camp. The ocean gave them great resources, food, water and such. Snowpoint Tribe grew larger, the group expanded. This is about the time East Sinnoh and West Sinnoh started warring. East Sinnoh was the superior side, of course, so when West Sinnoh needed more recruits, they wanted Snowpoint to join them. Snowpoint didn't want to war, so they rejected. Then East Sinnoh and West Sinnoh turned on Snowpoint because they both wanted this land, making Snowpoint have their own warriors. Snowpoint Warriors fought hard for their neutral land, and out of all odds, they prevailed. They say that Legendaries helped them win. When Snowpoint won the battle, all of Sinnoh became neutral, and East Sinnoh and West Sinnoh, once separated by Mt. Cornet, became one."

"The Ice Temple was built to thank the gods who helped Snowpoint prevail. It's a place of sacredness. It used to be welcomed by all, but then the Blizzard of Death hit. The temple was lost in the drifts. Ever since, people have been afraid to look for it, because they say the Blizzard of Death was brought on by Legendaries because they didn't want anyone to find the temple again. In other words, the grounds are cursed."

That was a bit unnecessary. Volkner and I looked at each other. I looked back at the Snow Sisters. "Not to be rude, but everyone knows about the East and West Sinnoh war. That was over three-hundred years ago. We just wanted to know about the temple…Which I guess we won't be going to."

"No, you shouldn't go. Anyone who has gone has never returned." They said together.

"Well what if we wanted to go anyway, where—" Volkner asked, aggravation growing in his tone.

"Is it located? In the back of Snowpoint, in the outskirts where the snow is deep and the blizzards are the worst."

"Why does everyone think the Legendaries don't want people to go there? It was a temple, people went there for meditation." I asked.

"Ice Temple, along with Snowpoint, was built on sacred ground. That place held many secrets. Legend has it that Legendary Pokémon hid in the ice walls. The Pokémon wanted the place for themselves."

"Again, not to be rude, but isn't that selfish?" I asked.

"The Legendaries have their ways, child. It's best if we don't question them."

I looked at Volkner. He shrugged. He looked at the sisters. "Do you know—?"

"Anything about the gym leader? Zoey understands that Snowpoint is a sacred place."

_That's helpful. _"No, I mean what Pokémon does she have?"

"Tough ones."

"Right…Well, thanks for your help." Volkner turned to leave, I did the same.

"Another thing about Snowpoint," the sisters continued, "is we are traditional. When someone challenges the gym, we dress in our traditional apparel. Purple robes, with white powder covering our faces. That was the Warriors attire. We wear the powder to cover our red, cold-bitten faces. To symbolize that not even snow can weaken us. All building are hundreds of years old, except for the Mart and Center of course." They grinned and chuckled, revealing toothless mouths. "Also, Snowpoint is known for sugary treats." The two of them lifted up a tray of cookies, appearing out of thin air, and sat it on the counter. "Treat?"

"No thank you." We smiled sheepishly and quickly escaped. "That was…Strange." I said.

"Yeah it was. I hope you learned what you wanted to." Volkner said, aggravation still nipping at his tone.

"I did. I think we should go looking for the temple after my battle."

"Miss Cynthia, they said that no one has returned. It's lost in the snow. Where the blizzard hits the worst. Cursed ground. Does that mean anything to you?"

"That's all 'legends' that scare Lea, not me. According to the map, the outskirts of town isn't that far from here. I have a Flying Type to get me there and everything, it won't be a big deal."

Volkner smirked. "I admire you, you know that?"

I frowned. "I hate it when you say things like that." And that was the truth.

His smirk grew. "I know."

* * *

><p>I attached my six Pokéballs to my belt loops, put on my jacket, wrapped my scarf around my neck, fixed my hair into a Ponyta-tail, and took a deep breath. It was time to challenge the gym. I put my hands in my pocket and left my room. Once I reached the lobby, Volkner met me at the door. We just looked at each other. He looked pretty enthused that he was coming with me to my battle, and I wasn't totally against it. It was comforting to have someone go with me, although a part of me wanted to be alone.<p>

We started to the gym. It, surprisingly, wasn't snowing. It was still freezing, but not snowing. We followed a lantern-lit path until we came to big snow drifts. I called out Togekiss and went into the sky. We flew over some drifts and trees until we saw a large, old building with lanterns lining the front. Thumper landed in front of it and I returned him.

"Here we are." I said, my breath turning into moisture.

"Ready?"

"Of course." I smirked. We entered the building. Instantly I was warm. In fact, I was hot. Around the battle field, fire rose to the ceiling. There was a flameless pathway where a girl, a few years older than me, was walking towards us. She wore a purple robe, and had white paint covering her face. The traditional Snowpoint Tribe getup. She had short, black hair with a few streaks of white all throughout it.

"Welcome, welcome." She said. She had to yell so you could hear over the roar of the blaze. She snapped her fingers, the fire vanished. "I'm Zoey." She looked at Volkner. "_Very_ nice to see you again, Volky." She smirked. I looked at Volkner. He blushed and scratched his head.

"Uh, hi." He muttered.

She looked back at me. "I've been preparing for you for a while. I've watched your battles and talked to some other leaders, if I were you I would be scared." She grinned and turned around. She walked towards the field.

I looked at Volkner. "Volky?" I whispered. He blushed and shrugged sheepishly. I snickered.

"Shut up!" He murmured. I followed Zoey on the field.

"I've decided that I don't like this cold snow anymore." Zoey grimaced. "I like being nice and warm. Particularly, I like fire." She pulled a Pokéball from her pocket. "Go Rapidash!" She released a large Pokémon. Rapidash is the evolved form of Ponyta, a much stronger and faster version. She has a great fire mane and flames covering her body. She looked fierce.

I got Milotic's ball ready, she would be essential in this battle. "Milotic, fight well." She came out looking as elegant as ever. She purred, or whatever you call what she does, and looked towards me and nodded. I knew we would be on the same page today,

"Rapid, use Quick Attack." The foe sprinted to Milotic and rammed her with her head.

"Aqua Tail!" I yelled. Milotic's scaly tail turned into a waterfall of crystal clear water. She wacked the watery tail on the opponent. Rapidash was thrust to the ground and scrambled to get up.

"Fire Blast!" Rapidash spewed fire at my Pokémon. She winced and tried to dodge the attack. Some of her scales were burnt, that was a tough hit.

"Hydro Pump." Milotic emitted loads of water at the rival. Rapidash was thrown across the field and thumped on her side. She stood up slowly. She didn't have much left.

"Quick Attack." Zoey commanded. Rapidash basically disappeared and reappeared just in time to smack Milotic to the ground. "Fire Blast!" My Pokémon tried to escape Fire Blast, but couldn't. She took a good hit, but nevertheless, got back up.

I debated using Hydro Pump, but that really took a lot out of Milotic, and I needed her. Rapidash was about to go down, so all I needed to use was a strong, but not too strong, move. "Water Pulse." That was easy enough. Pulsations of water hit the rival. She tried to stand her ground, but ended up failing. She hit the ground; no hope of recovery.

Relief flooded over me. One down.

"Infernape, beat this rival!" A large monkey-like Pokémon came out. His colors were mainly cream and orange, with some white fur places. He had gold plating on his wrists, knees, shoulders, and chest. And to top it off, a crown of flames. This would be interesting.

"Milotic, Aqua Tail!" My Pokémon used the move flawlessly, and Infernape took a beating. But he still stood strong.

"Flame Wheel." Infernape became covered in blaze, and he rolled over to Milotic at great speeds. He charged into her and pushed her to the ground. "Mach Punch." The foe's fist enlarged and he punched my Water type. She was pushed back and came to my feet.

"Come on, get up." I whispered. She get her snake-like body up and waited for a command. "Hydro Pump." She opened her mouth, and gushed water at Infernape. He was thrown into the air and slammed back against the wall behind Zoey.

Zoey growled. "Infernape, Flame Wheel!" The opponent used Flame Wheel again, sending Milotic back to the ground. This time she got back up right away.

"Water Pulse!" Milotic quickly used the move. It knocked Infernape down. It was an instant knockout. Zoey frowned and returned her Pokémon.

Two down. I was doing good, at least I thought I was. Milotic _was_ about to go down though. But I still had my full party left.

"Magmortar, do your worst!" Zoey released a huge, dangerous looking Pokémon. It was bipedal with two large claws on both feet, and two cannon-looking arms. The thing chuckled wickedly. It had a very deep voice. This was going to be hard.

"Hydro Pump, quick!" Before Milotic goes down, getting a Hydro Pump out there was the best thing. She spewed the water best she could, and it slammed against the Fire Type's body, but nothing happened. No falling to the ground, crashing into walls, nothing. He just stood there, looking unaffected. "Oh goodness." I muttered, but as I muttered, Zoey gave a command.

The huge rival held up his arm, and fire burst out of it like a gun or cannon. It engrossed Milotic, I could hear her shrieks of pain. I winced until the shrieks ended. The flames dispersed, and Milotic lay limp on the ground. I returned her and tried to keep my calm.

I got Gabite's Pokéball, she could do some damage here. "Gabite, win for me!" She came out and roared. She didn't seem the least bit intimidated by the giant Fire Type.

"Lava Plume, now!" Zoey shouted. Magmortar shot more flames at my Pokémon. Gabite swatted at them and tried to dodge, but the fire was fast and accurate. She took a hit.

I racked my mind for a move. Then I remembered training in Canalave, when she started listening to me, she used a new move. "Dig!" I commanded. Gabite shot down into the ground, which was made of solid rock, and then shot up under the foe. Magmortar was pushed to the ground. "Dragon Claw!" Gabite's claw glowed bright and she struck it across the fallen rivals back. He roared and jumped up, swinging his big arm at her. Gabite leapt into the air and dodged the swing.

"Flamethrower!" Magmortar shot fire at Gabite, again, and she fell to the ground. She hissed and got back on her feet.

"Dragon Rage." She opened her mouth and the purple stuff engrossed Magmortar. He freaked out and waved his arms about. He must not have liked being totally covered.

"Fire Punch." Zoey commanded. Magmortar non-cannon hand became covered in blazing fire. He punched Gabite. She slammed on the ground and growled. She shot back up.

"Dragon Claw!" She scratched Magmortar hard, he roared. She jumped backwards and glided over to me. "Dig again." She jumped back down in her hole, which Zoey did not like the fact she had a hole in her floor, and Gabite popped back out under Magmortar, creating _another_ hole.

"Lava Plume, now." Magmortar used his deadly Fire move. Gabite fell to the ground, and I knew she wouldn't be getting back up. I returned her. Zoey was smirking. I also knew Magmortar didn't have much left in him…But I didn't know how many Pokémon she had left. There was a chance that that was her last Pokémon, but somehow I doubted that.

I quickly decided on my next Pokémon. It was between Spiritomb and Lucario. "Go, Lucario!" I released my newest Pokémon. She got in the battle stance and looked _tough_. I decided to act fast and get the first move in. "Quick Attack!" She sprinted to the rival, which she was insanely fast, and tackled him. He fell to the ground. "Metal Claw." She held up her paw. It over coated in steel. She sliced it across Magmortar's chest. He roared and his body raged in flames. She leapt off and yelped at the burns on her knees and paws.

"Flamethrower!" Even from the ground he emitted flames. Lucario held her paws out and looked at me, like waiting for a command. I didn't know all her moves, I didn't think Quick Attack or Metal Claw would help in a time like this. The flames engrossed her. She escaped them and looked at me again.

"Quick Attack." She obeyed and attacked the foe, he fell to the ground with a great bang and fainted. I stood on my toes, waiting to see if she had another Pokémon.

Zoey recalled Magmortar, and grabbed another Pokéball. "Abomasnow, beat this Pokémon!" A large _Snow Type _came from the ball.

_That's not Fire! _I thought. _Oh Sinnoh, I hope this is her last trick. _"Lucario, use…A move!" Zoey looked confused at this. I should have trained more with my new teammate. Lucario looked at her paw, a blue thing appeared in her hand. It looked like a bone of sorts, and I instantly knew the move: Bone Rush. She ran to the foe and hit him over the head with the bone. He roared and waited for a command.

"Use Wood Hammer!" Abomasnows arm turned into a tree trunk, and he slammed it on Lucario. She fell and slid across the floor.

"Metal Claw." Lucario jumped up and ran to the foe. She sliced a red line across his stomach. "Quick Attack." She charged at him, he fell to the ground.

"Icy Wind!" Abomasnow blew a gust of wind at Lucario. She stiffened up. She didn't freeze, but she got _cold._ "Razor Leaf." The opponent made leaves appear and shot them at my Pokémon. Lucario winced at the hits.

"Use another move, Lucario." I yelled. It was tacky of me to say that during a battle, but I was focused on winning. My Pokémon pushed her paw out towards Abomasnow and hit him hard. Her paw was glowing a white-blue color, and the rival and acting like he was really taking punches.

Abomasnow slumped to the ground, and Lucario stood tall proudly. I knew what had just happened. Zoey returned her Pokémon, and I waited to see if she had another, when she started walking towards me I knew I had just won. I returned Lucario and met Zoey in the middle. Up close, I could see that she had a gold, dangling nose ring. That didn't seem very traditional.

"Cynthia, I deeply respect you." She bowed and handed me my badge and a wad of money. I took it and bowed back.

"Thank you, the battle was fun."

"Yes it was very fun." She smirked. "Maybe you _are_ hope for humanity, after all." Volkner came over to us. She looked at him. "Now all you have to do it beat Volky." He blushed again. She laughed. "Come on, people are waiting outside."

"What?" I asked. Zoey pushed me over to the door and opened it. A group of people stood there. I walked out. They looked like they were anticipating something. I looked down at me hand. I held up my badge and grinned. They cheered. They were all wearing purple robes and white face makeup. It was a really interesting sight to see. I felt amazing.

Everyone cheered for another moment, then a few came up and congratulated me. After, Volkner and I walked back to the Center. I was waiting for my Pokémon to be healed and he went out to get soup. Soon he came back and we ate together.

"So I was thinking," Volkner started, "that we could have a good night's rest tonight and leave out in the morning for my place." He smirked.

"That sounds good but…There's just one place I really have been dying to see."

He sighed. "Please, don't make me go out there."

"Fine, I wanted to go alone anyways." I said.

"No, if you're going, I'm going, so by me asking you not to make me go, I'm asking _you _not to go."

I blinked. "If you're trying to trick me some way, it's not working. I'm going whether you are or not."

He rolled his eyes. "Just tell me when we're leaving."

* * *

><p>A while later we were flying on Thumper headed towards the outskirts of town. "According to the map," Volkner, who got his title of map holder back, started, "the temple should be somewhere past Frost Forest." I looked down. We were currently over a bunch of trees.<p>

"Is this Frost Forest?"

"Yep, so start looking for a big ice building that's lost in the drifts." I could hear the sarcasm in his tone.

A few minutes later, the trees ended. I looked ahead for any signs of drifts, but instead I found a huge building. "Volkner, is that it?"

He looked up ahead. "Yeah that's it alright."

"I thought it was buried in snow."

"Me too. Let's land and take a look."

I landed Thumper and returned him. The snow was knee-deep, but the temple was _right there_. Not hidden or buried. "The Snow Sisters lied." I said. "It's here."

"So, it may not be buried, but it still may be on cursed ground." Volkner said.

We started walking towards the entrance. "Oh please, this ground isn't cursed." I rolled my eyes.

Of course I would be wrong. Just then, someone jumped from the roof and landed in front of us, waving a long silver sword in our faces.

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Note: <strong>We have official cover art! To see it full scale and to learn more, visit my blog. ablogforgamers. The link is on my profile. So who liked that Old Sinnoh history lesson?! Oh yeah.

Espeon: Well, I can't express how sad I am! I will miss both of your stories. But I'm glad I'm not losing you as a reader, so that's a plus.

Thanks for reading!


	37. Guardians

_Chapter Thirty-six: Guardians_

_Fighting For Everything_

Volkner wrapped his arm around me and we started stepping back quickly. Then, more people jumped down from the roof. They were all wearing black cloaks and had swords in their hands. I stuck my hand in my bag and searched for a Pokéball.

"Wait!" Someone yelled. I found a ball and pulled it out. "Don't releases it." The voice said again. One of the cloaked swordsmen approached me. The swordsmen pulled his hood down. It was a girl. She had black and white hair, like Zoey, and stood as tall as Zoey. I would have said it was her, but she didn't look right. When I saw the dangling nose ring, I knew it was her.

"Zoey?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yes, it's me." The other people pulled their hoods off.

"You look so different without your makeup." I commented. Without her makeup you could see that she, actually, had a very pretty face.

Zoey shrugged. "What are you doing out here?" She asked.

"We could ask the same to you." Volkner growled. I shot him a look. He had on his protective face.

"Volky, you don't need to be so defensive."

"Zoey," a man spoke up, "let's go inside." Zoey nodded and motioned for us to follow her. We walked up to the temple. It looked as regal as you would think. It looked completely constructed out of ice. That may have been an illusion, but it looked cool either way. There were blue beams that held everything together, and a matching blue roof. The place was three stories tall, I would guess. But it was definitely here, and not lost in snow.

One of the other attackers walked to the center of the front wall. He thrust his sword into a crease, and a few clicks rang out. Part of the wall opened like a door. We all stepped in. The inside was just as sacred-looking. And I definitely felt a presence around. Not _my_ presence, which has been absent for a while, but _a_ presence.

It was surprisingly warm inside, even though everything was ice. There was a chandelier type thing hanging from the double-story ceiling. It had flames roaring up around it, warming the whole area but not melting the building.

The only thing was, there was nothing inside. It was empty. It was a big, empty room.

"Okay, you guys have some explaining to do." Volkner said when the 'door' closed.

The group circled around us. "Let's go into a better room." Zoey said. We followed her to the back of the room, where there was an old, wooden door. She opened it and lead us in. The room was small, but it wasn't made of ice, is was a regular room. There was a small fireplace with a fire burning, and sofas and chairs circled around it. Everyone sat.

"I'm sure you two have question, but I can assure you, you're not getting any answers." One of the other ladies said.

"Oh please, that's just Zanna being the downer she is." Zoey looked at us. "The reason why you're not dead, is because I trust you two enough to keep secrets."

"Obviously." One of the men said. Everyone in this room, except Volkner, Zoey, and I, didn't want us here.

"Hush." Zoey told him. "Plus, killing off the next champion would be a waste. How else would we get Lea out of business?"

"Who said I wanted to challenge Lea?" I asked.

"No one would come _this_ far and not continue on to the League. And Volky always said he wanted to be the champion, that's why he set out, isn't it?" I looked at Volky. He was giving Zoey a very mean look. "So one of you will probably be the champion. Most likely Cynthia, because Volky lost his zeal. I don't know why. He certainly is powerful enough."

"Zoey, what's your point?" He snapped.

"My point is, welcome to the secret temple! Be glad you're alive." She smirked. She looked around at the others. "These are my family members. Zanna, my eldest sister, Zeya, my younger sister, and Zen, my older brother. And then these are my cousins, Zane, Zinnia, and Zacobi. We are the descendants of the Snowpoint Warriors, and we are the guardians of this temple." All of Zoey's family had black hair, or black and white hair, and they all wore a gold nose ring. Most likely to symbolize that they were warriors. Or because they were into piercings.

"So, if this is actually here, why did the Snow Sisters lie about it? To keep it secret?" I asked. That really was a question that started to bother me. It didn't make sense why they would lie.

"Well, what did they say?" Zeya asked. Zeya looked exactly like Zoey, except with a rounder, younger face.

"They said that this temple was lost in a snowstorm created by Legendaries, and that it was cursed ground."

"That's not a lie." Zacobi, the youngest male of the group, said. "They think it's the truth."

"What?" Volkner asked.

"Our ancestors made up the lie." Zeya answered.

"They did?"

"Yep, straight out of our great-great-great-great-great-grandfathers butts." Zacobi grinned.

"But the Snow Sisters were there." I said.

They all laughed. "Please, no they weren't! They're so old, they don't even know what they're talking about anymore. They're two-hundred-and-eighty, and they would need to be at least three-hundred-seventy to even be there!" They all kept laughing.

"The point is," Zoey started, "this temple was created by Legendaries when the war was over, we didn't create it. Legendaries used this as a home-base, since this was neutral land, there are multiple scrolls found throughout the building. But this place is…Weird. It holds its own secrets."

"How does it hold its own secrets?" I asked, getting wrapped up into Zoey's words.

"On the third level of the building, there's a door that we can't get into. All the other doors open with the warriors swords, but this one is weird. And we can hear things moving up there, and we know the walls move." She answered.

"How do you know if you can't get in there?" Volkner asked.

"Because on the second level, the walls move too. They move in such a way, that it's a maze-like construction. We haven't been through the room. Many of our ancestors got lost in the maze and was never seen again."

"So, if there's nothing here, why hide it from everyone? You can't get into the third level, the second level is impossible to get through, and there's nothing on the first level."

"Right now, it's scaring Lea away." Zen said. "We know he's looking for something. That's why he's sending guards to the lakes and everywhere else. Except here, because he's afraid. We're protecting our people by lying about a big temple. But, we think what he's looking for is here."

"That's enough of all this talk." Zanna snapped. "You're just telling our lives work to these strangers? They don't need to know about the scrolls and the secrets." She turned towards us. "You heard it. We're lying to keep away Lea and protect our people and home, like our ancestors did. It's our duty. Protection runs deep in our veins. Are you two always this nosey?"

I frowned. "No, if you remember, you all happily invited us in and told us all this. It's not our fault." I stood up and looked at the guardians around me. "You all want to protect your people? You all want Lea out of business? Then why are you hiding? Do like the rebels did, get out and fight. Take Lea down the vicious way he deserves, instead of waiting around for someone else to do it for you!" By them saying they were waiting for _me_ to be the champion, they were putting a lot of weight on me. I may not succeed, and I would let everyone down.

Zoey stood up. "Cynthia, we're protectors and defender, not fighters. We defend what's ours, and we don't get into the business and wars of everyone else. Just like the Old Sinnoh war, Snowpoint Tribe prevailed by defending. Not fighting."

Zanna was flaming mad. "I think you two should go before everything is ruined. We don't need evil in this sacred place. Leave! Zoey, show them out, now!"

Zoey lead us out to the door. "You two should keep our secret. If you don't, I'll tell your secret, Cynthia. The secret that you were a rebel."

I was dumbfounded. "How did you know?!"

She smirked. "You just told me."

I smashed my lips together. Oops. I fell the for oldest trick in the book. "Well then…Uh, let's keep our secrets then." I grinned sheepishly. Zoey nodded and put the sword in the wall, opening the door and letting us out.

"I hope I get to see you two again before you leave. Especially you, Volky." She grinned. Volkner frowned and slightly blushed. "Don't freeze to death out there." Zoey said as we walked out of the temple. The door shut behind Volkner and I, and I looked at him.

"That was weird." I commented. The coldness started to hit me again.

"Yeah I know. Very weird. This whole place is weird. Let's get out of here and go to Sunyshore, at least it's warm there."

I nodded and got out Thumper. I released him and we got on. Before we took off, I looked over my shoulder at Volkner. He was looking at the map, ready to take on his job again. He realized I was looking and met my eyes. He smirked happily. "Volky?" I snickered. He frowned.

"Just fly." He said through his clenched teeth. I laughed and took off into the heavens.

* * *

><p>Later that evening, Volkner and I sat in my room and relaxed on the sofa. With my winnings, I bought us hot tea and each a sweet tart, which was a sugary treat that was delicious. We had finished our treat and was sipping down some special, and quite expensive, tea. We deserved something nice and relaxing since we weren't fighting wars.<p>

Or expected to fight a tough champion. Oh wait, that's me, I'm expected to fight a tough champion. I rolled my eyes just thinking about it.

I focused back on the television. Surprisingly, Jubilife News wasn't on. There was only one channel here, the Sinnoh Station. I hear that in some places in Sinnoh you can pick up Kanto or Johto Station, but for us, it's Sinnoh Station or bust. Jubilife News comes on ten times a day, about every two hours on the dot, and when that isn't on, they're showing a contest or battle or something along those lines. And, the eight o'clock special, Hearts of Hearthrome, the television drama revolved around a girl and her love interests. Yes, _very exciting_ show.

Currently, a contest was being shown. We were mindlessly watching that. I took a sip of my tea. My mind went back to my meeting the guardians. Zoey had taken quite a liking to Volkner, and they _had_ met before. Yes, that made me suspicious of that, but I wasn't jealous. I thought of what she said. _"Volky always said he wanted to be the champion, that's why he set out." This is odd. If Volkner wanted to be the champion, he easily could have. Why would he settle for a gym leader? Did he not want the responsibility? Possible, but that still doesn't make sense. _

I looked at Volkner. "Can I ask you something?"

He looked at me. "Anything."

"Zoey said you left out to be the champion. Is that true?"

He sighed and looked away. "Partially. When I left, it was very spur-of-the-moment. I don't know why I left. But it wasn't necessarily to become the champion. I'm glad I'm a gym leader, and I wouldn't change it." He said it, but it didn't seem like he meant it. Just something about his somber look. He looked back and me and slightly smiled, but he still looked hurt. He always looked somewhat hurt. Scarred, if you will.

"Are you sure?" I asked, disbelief filling my tone.

He nodded. "Yeah. If I wasn't a leader, I wouldn't have met you."

I smiled and shook my head. "You saying things like that never helps anything."

"Sure it does." He smirked. He reached up and pushed some of my hair behind my ear. He rested his hand on my cheek. The last time I was in this position I was with Ember, and it ended…Well, let's just not say. But I didn't want _that_ ending here.

I blushed thinking about that memory. I grabbed Volkner's hand and moved it away. He looked hurt at this action. "I think I should leave." He said. I nodded. He stood up and walked to the door. Before he opened it, he turned back towards me. "Goodnight, Miss Cynthia."

"Goodnight." I muttered, and he left me alone, and wishing I never let him leave.

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Note: <strong>Short chapter FTW. Well, since Christmas is coming up, my next chapter shall be delayed. (Maybe, maybe not.) On top of that, since you all know of my 'system', you all know that I have the next chapter already written. I'm sort of torn up with Cynthia and Volkners relationship, so I need feedback on that.

So answer these all nice-like and such:

Tips? Something you want to see? How am I doing? (Random) Do you like the cover art?

Oh and, for those of you who never visit my profile, I'm a chic who takes offense when called a dude. Seriously. Is it that hard to guess?! Yeesh. Gamer girls exist, I own Assassins Creed! As of...This week. Heh. Now to go read Twilight and listen to Justin Bieber. Is that even how you spell his name? Tis a mystery.

Thanks for reading!


	38. Deal

_Chapter Thirty-seven: Deal_

_Fighting For Everything_

That night, I laid awake in bed. Thinking about the guardians. _They should be more like the rebels, they should fight. "We're defenders, not fighters." No, they need to take a stand. But even so, defending is better than doing nothing. I'm doing nothing. Practically nothing. Doing it the way Ember said, just trying to get to the top and win fairly, isn't cutting it._ I pushed the covers off of me and stood up. I found my shoes and slipped them on, but otherwise I was in my pajamas.

Roserade, who shared the bed with me, sat up and gave me a look. "I'll be back soon. I promise." I whispered. I put on a sweater and my jacket, and left the room. I walked down the hallway and into the Center lobby. The lights were still on, but no one was working the counter. I had Thumper's ball in hand, ready to fly off to the gym. The reason why I wasn't waiting until morning was because Volkner and I decided to leave. And he wouldn't like my grand idea.

I made it to the front door and reached for the handle. I grabbed it and opened the door. Someone grabbed me from behind, I gasped. I turned around. Thankfully, it was just Volkner.

"What in Sinnoh are you doing at this hour?" His bed head looked the same as his normal hair, messy and unkempt. He wore long pajama pants, and he must have thrown his shirt back on when he got up because it was on inside-out.

"I could ask the same thing to you." I said, trying to protect my independence…Or something like that.

"I got up because I heard you get up."

"Were you listening?" I made a face.

"No, we're the only two people here, the walls are thin, the wood on the floor creaks, and my room is right next to yours." He gave me a look and rubbed his eyes. "So what are you doing up?"

I sighed. "I was going to see Zoey. I need to talk to her about the guardians. I'm not doing anything here but standing and I need to work with them to get Lea out of the picture."

He rolled his eyes. "Your head is still on rebel mode. You're doing enough. You're preparing and getting stronger to defeat Lea head on. The guardians are _guarding_, not fighting."

I looked at the floor. "I just _feel_ like I'm not doing enough."

"But you are. You're doing enough. You don't need to put yourself in more danger."

Yes, he was right. I didn't like it, but he was right. He reached out and hugged me. It was a quick embrace, but it was a nice gesture. We walked back to our rooms. "Goodnight." I said.

"Goodnight." He replied. I walked through my door and slumped on the bed. I disturbed Roserade, and she wasn't happy about that. I felt so _wrong. _But Volkner was right. I was doing the best thing, the right thing, and I should have felt fine. It was a bit of guilt for letting the rebels be taken away. It was a bit of embarrassment for failing. And it was a bit of sorrow in the mix, too. I felt sorry for myself. This wasn't a good thing at all.

I sighed and rolled over. I was very sleepy, and I had traveling to do tomorrow, so I pushed everything aside and let the sleep overtake me.

* * *

><p>I stuffed the last of my things back in my black bag and slung it over my shoulder. "Moving day again." I joked to Thumper and Roserade. Roserade smiled but Thumper cocked his head at me. Yeah…He wasn't the brightest match in the box.<p>

I returned them and left for the lobby. Volkner wasn't there yet, so I went ahead and ate breakfast. Then after I was done and he wasn't there, I left for his room. I knocked on the wooden door. Nothing. "Volkner, wake up!" I yelled, assuming he had slept in. I banged on the door. Then I got a little worried. I opened the door and peeked in. No Volkner. "Oh no." I shut the door and ran back to the lobby, giving it another sweep with my eyes. I shot out of the Center and into the cold. It was snowing harshly…Again.

Pushing through the snow, I arrived at the Mart. No Volkner there either. "Sinnoh!" I muttered. I thought of only two other places, the gym and the temple. I got out Togekiss.

"Miss Cynthia, where are you going?" I was so relieved to hear his voice.

I returned my Pokémon and looked at him. His blonde hair was sprinkled with snow, and his cheeks were cold-bitten. "Where in Sinnoh have you been, Volkner?!" I yelled. "You had me worried sick! Do you _know_ how badly you scared me? Sinnoh!"

He smirked. "You were worried about me?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, I was worried about you, I must love you then, huh?" I crossed my arms over my chest.

He snickered. "You're funny when you're all mad."

I mashed my lips together. "Why don't you rip out your Pokémon and you can see how angry I can get? Let's battle right now!"

He smirked. "Calm down. Let's get going."

I huffed. I got on Thumper. "Just get on and stay quiet." I snapped. Volkner hopped on and we took off into the blizzard. "This time, we're going to Celestic. We'll get to Sunyshore quicker. And we can stop in on my grandmother."

"Okay." He, apparently, wasn't in the mood to argue. Which was odd. Volkner was almost always up for a good argue. And he didn't even want to battle when I was mad. Normally it could take him a second to escalate to my anger level.

_Where did he go, and what in Sinnoh happened? _I thought. "Volkner," I started, attempting to make my voice less scary.

"Yeah?"

"Where did you go?" He didn't answer. I looked over my shoulder. He wasn't looking at me. "Where did you go?" I repeated, this time not caring about my tone. "Don't tell me you went back to the temple without me."

"I didn't go to the temple." He said. He looked at me. "I…Went to the gym."

Gym. As in where Zoey lived. As in the really pretty, really tough girl who just so happens to have a thing for 'Volky.' Yeah, that didn't exactly put me in a good place. I turned back around and looked ahead. "The gym?" I echoed.

"Yeah." His voice was filled with hesitation.

"And why?" I didn't look at him.

He hesitated. That made me mad. "To say goodbye." He said quickly.

"Right. Sure. Of course." I muttered.

"What? It's the truth."

"And I thought you didn't like her. At least that's how you made it seem yesterday, _Volky._"

He growled. "You know, for someone who's not into me at all, you sure act like it."

"I'm not into you like Zoey is! She's throwing herself at you, can you not tell?"

"Of course I can tell! She's always been like that! I can't help it! But that doesn't mean I like her back!"

"Then why did you go over there?! Hm?! To say goodbye, or to kiss goodbye?!" I snapped.

"Neither!" He yelled. Togekiss shot to the right. We both shook a little. "Do you want to know what I did over there?"

The worst images popped into my mind. "Not really, I think I can guess."

"Oh really?! Did you guess that I went over there to talk to her about _you_?!"

That wasn't what I expected. I shut my mouth.

"Didn't think so." He sighed. "I asked her to make sure to turn you away if you asked to join them. I told her that I'm crazy about you and don't want you to get hurt. Make sense now? And yeah, she definitely came on to me, but I said no."

"Oh." I murmured. Guess who felt like the wrong end of a Miltank now? Yes, _me._ I looked back at him. He looked a bit hurt and angry. "I apologize." I said, with all sincerity. "I don't why I acted that way…" That's the truth.

He smirked. And I knew what was coming. "It's because you're into me. You said it yourself."

I blinked. I racked my brain. When did I say something like that? "What?"

"You said, and I quote, 'I'm not into you like Zoey is.' So, you're into me some way, aren't you?" He raised his eyebrows.

I rolled my eyes and looked forward. "Sorry to burst your Bubblebeam, but no."

"One day, Miss Cynthia, you'll admit it. You'll say the wonderful words." I could tell he was smirking, even though I wasn't looking.

"Doubtful." And that was the one-hundred-percent truth.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, we arrived in Celestic. The blizzard died down a little a bit after we set flight, and it was smooth flying all the way home. We landed on the outskirts of town. I was getting excited to see Grandmother and everyone. "Do you think we could spend the day here?" I asked Volkner. Since he was my traveling companion, I had to a-okay everything with him.<p>

"Sure." He shrugged. "I don't care."

I smiled. "Great, let's get to the house." The fog was as thick as ever when we walked. Luckily it only took a few minutes to get to Grandmothers house. I knocked on the door and opened it. "Grandmother?" I called as we walked in. There was no answer. "She's probably at the shop. She'll be here shortly for lunch most likely." I carried my bag to my bedroom, Volkner was right behind me.

"This is where you lived?" He asked.

"Yes." The way he said 'lived' and not 'live' was odd, but I pushed it away.

"It's so small." He commented. He sat on my bed and I put my bag on my desk.

I started unpacking. I was going to wash my clothes then repack for Sunyshore. "And you live in a mansion?" Sarcasm laced my tone.

"Oh har, har. No, as a matter o' fact I don't."

"Then you don't have any place to comment about my house. It's fine the way it is." I heard the front door shut. "Oh, she's home." I grinned and ran out to the living room. Grandmother grinned when she saw me.

"Oh Cynthia, what a pleasant surprise!" I hugged her. "What are you doing home, dear?"

"Just visiting." I said. "I'll be leaving tomorrow morning."

"Let me fix up some soup." Grandmother patted my shoulder and moved to the kitchen.

Volkner walked out of my room. "Hello." He greeted.

Grandmother slightly jumped at the voice. She turned and looked at him. Then looked at me, then back at him. I felt like face palming, but fought the urge. "Oh." Grandmother chirped. "This is the first time Cynthia has ever brought a boy home." She smiled unsurely. "Welcome to Celestic, I am Carolina, but you can call me Grandmother."

I looked at Volkner; I searched for the right words to say. But then a sly smile came across Volkner's face. He walked up to Grandmother. "Oh really? That's surprising. I guess that means I'm just special." He shook Grandmothers hand. "I'm Volkner, the last gym leader. Nice to meet you, Grandmother." He shot a look at me. I stood there speechless. _What's going on?! _

Grandmother's smile turned genuine. "The pleasure's all mine, dear. Now do you like vegetable soup?"

Volkner patted his stomach. "Love it."

Grandmother chuckled. "Alright then, I'll whip up some." She looked at me. "Cynthia, why don't you go out to the shop and get some fresh bread? This calls for a nice meal. And pick something else up for dinner tonight." She pulled out a little bit of money and handed it to me. "Jamie's there, she will be so pleased to see you." Before I could answer, she turned back to Volkner. "So tell me about Sunyshore, dear."

My mouth hung open. This was weird. I closed my mouth and left the house. I headed for the shop. I met Jamie as soon as I opened the door. "Cyn!" She squealed. She threw her arms around me. "What are you doing here?!"

"Just visiting before my last gym."

"So you beat Canalave and Snowpoint, huh?" She asked, excitement coursing through her voice.

"Yes, it was a piece of cake."

"Tell me _everything_!" She pleaded. I laughed and started telling her about my recent battles. I picked up some bread and then some dough to make lettuce and berry wraps for dinner. She hung on to every word of my stories until we got home. I opened the door, right in the middle of talking about how I was creaming Zoey's Fire Type's with Milotic, when Grandmother giggled. Jamie looked over.

"Who's that?" She asked.

"Who?" I looked over. Volkner and Grandmother sat at the table, Grandmother looking over pleased, and Volkner was leaned back in his chair, smiling like a gentleman, telling some story about a sunset. I turned back to Jamie, but she was gone. I looked back at Volkner, Jamie was standing next to him, grinning and shaking his hand.

"Jamie Lisa Corley, nice to meet you."

"Volkner." He replied. I stepped forward and started to tell her that he was my traveling partner, and Grandmother spoke before me.

"This is Cynthia's boyfriend, Jamie."

I waited for Volkner to object, but he didn't. Instead he looked at me, smiling, and looking really happy. "Yeah. We're going on a month now. Best month of my life." He stood up and wrapped his arms around me. "Cynthia, the wind beneath my feet."

Grandmother and Jamie cooed. Jamie sat down at the table and looked at us with one of her 'that's so cute' smiles. I subtly pushed Volkner away. I fake smiled and chuckled. "Yeah, best month ever." I cleared my throat. "Volkner, why don't we talk outside?"

"Sure thing Honey Bear." Grandmother and Jamie made that noise again. I turned away and rolled my eyes. We walked outside. I closed the door quietly, which took a lot of self control because I wanted to slam it hard.

"Honey Bear?!" I repeated at a whisper. A yelled whisper, that is.

Volkner smirked. "Yup." I kicked his ankle.

"What are you doing to me?!"

He snickered. "I'm just having fun."

I clenched my jaw. _"Having fun_? No. Playing in the park is having fun, swimming is having fun, picking daisies in an enchanted meadow is _having fun_, not lying to my grandmother and best friend about us!"

He smiled. "It's so fun!"

"Well guess who's telling them we're not together." I crossed my arms over my chest and smiled.

"Not me, your grandmother loves me. She'd be heartbroken is we weren't a couple. I've already told her about our first date, the first time a saw you—oh, how your eyes sparkled in the moonlight. And guess what else?"

I didn't want to guess, I didn't want to think. "Sinnoh, what else?" I feared the worst.

"Our first kiss."

Yeah, that was the worst. I covered my eyes. "You didn't!"

"I so did!" He laughed.

"Why?! Why did you do this?!" I asked, getting more and more angry.

He shrugged. "Seemed like a good idea. This way, you can't treat me like dirt. At least in front of them." He pointed towards the house.

"I can treat you any way I want."

"Oh no, you can't, Honey Bear."

I grimaced. "Do not call me that."

"Here's a deal, you treat me like you would your boyfriend while we're here, and I won't call you sappy pet-names. Deal?" He held his hand out.

I rolled my eyes. _One night. _I told myself. I shook his hand. "Deal."

We walked back in. Grandmother and Jamie perked up at the sight of Volkner. I turned green and felt what little I had in my stomach curl.

Grandmother got up and motioned for us to sit down. We sat down at the small table. She brought over our soup and bread. "So Cynthia, why didn't you tell us sooner about this boy?" _Kill me now. _

"I'm…Not sure." I stuffed some bread in my mouth.

"Hey, you know Cynthia, she wanted to wait and see how we did together before she told all of you." Volkner said.

"That does sound like our Cynie." Jamie said. "How'd you two meet again?" _Oh Sinnoh. _

Volkner started this elaborate story about moonlight and twinkly eyes and garbage. He had Grandmother and Jamie practically swooning. He ended with putting his arm around my shoulder. "And now I'm the happiest man alive, aren't I, _Cynie_?"

I fought the urge to cut my eyes at him. Instead, I smiled. "That's right, _Volky._" He clenched his jaw for a quick second, and then smirked.

"Right, now why don't _you_ tell _your_ story of our first meeting?" He raised his eyebrows. I looked at our piers, they were nodding and grinning.

"Well…I was in the moonlight…" I tried to think of something. "Um…Volkner was running around yelling something about Pikachu, and I ran over to him to see what was wrong, and I slapped him because he was acting like a loon, and then he fell to the ground, next thing I know he wakes up and starts babbling about twinkling eyes." I smiled.

Grandmother and Jamie blinked. Then laughed. "Always the comedian." Jamie snickered.

Volkner patted my shoulder. "Yeah, she keeps me laughing." He fake chuckled.

We continued eating. I changed the subject completely to my battles. We talked and ate for a half an hour longer, and then Grandmother needed to leave. She asked Volkner if he wanted to see the ruins and shop, and of course, Volkner said yes, leaving Jamie and I some peace and quiet.

We sat on the sofa. I quickly learned we weren't going to have our normal sit-and-chat-for-hours setting. Every other word that came out of her mouth was 'Volkner.' It got old real quick.

"We're not together!" I yelled.

She looked dumbfounded. "What?"

"He lied, basically for kicks. And I went along with it for no good reason at all!"

"What?" She repeated. "…Why'd you lie to me?" Now she seemed hurt.

"I don't know, I didn't want to say no once Grandmother and you loved the idea so much. I got wrapped up, I'm sorry."

She frowned. "Well I do forgive you." She sighed. "So you don't like him a little bit?"

I face palmed. "No, not even a little bit."

"But he likes you?"

"Yes."

"And you're travelling with him?"

"Yes, why does this matter?"

"Because, Cyn, do you not see what's going on here?" She waved her arms in a big motion to emphasis her point.

"…No?" She lost me.

"Cyn, by doing this with him, you're leading him on."

I leaned back on the couch. She was right. I was leading him on, even if he knows my feelings, or lack thereof, for him. And there definitely weren't feelings there. I leaned my elbow on my knee and rested my chin in my hand. "You're right."

"Yeah I'm right. You need to stop this."

"But he knows my feelings aren't, you know, like his."

"Still, he thinks differently."

I sighed and groaned. "Sinnoh." I muttered. That wasn't going to be easy.

* * *

><p>That night I laid in my bed that I missed so much. Togekiss was slumped on the floor, Roserade was pushing me off my bed, and Gabite sat on my floor, looking around. She didn't feel like sleeping, and neither did I. I rolled around some more. "She's right." I said to my ceiling. Roserade lifted her head and glared at me. She lifted up her arm, as if to warn me she would use Toxic Touch and poison me. I laughed at her, she wouldn't do that. She threatened me all the time, they meant nothing now. I sighed and looked back at the ceiling. "I hate it when she's right." Roserade growled and rolled over, I ignored her. "I'm leading him on. I need to talk to him." Roserade huffed and jumped off the bed. I scooted over to where I was comfortable, for one. "Oh, it's better up here without a Pokémon." Roserade hissed. I laughed.<p>

I sighed and shut my eyes. The next day wouldn't be easy. I was having inner-turmoil with my heart. I had come to love him as a friend so much, that leaving him would really _hurt._ But it had to be done. This _needed _to be done for many reasons. One, I'm hurting Volkner a lot; two, I need to focus of training and Pokémon, Lea's just around the corner; and three…I was hurting myself, too.

A tear slipped out of my eye and ran to my pillow. I held them all back and pushed them away. _This is what needs to be done. _I told myself over and over, almost until the point I didn't believe it myself.

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Note: <strong>Merry Christmas Eve! I wrote up a chapter to post this today! I tried to add a bit of humor, because let's just say, the next chapter won't be humorous. I hope everyone has an awesome day spent with their families, and expect another chapter tomorrow or the next day.

Thanks for reading!


	39. Monster

_Chapter Thirty-eight: Monster_

_Fighting For Everything_

I opened my eyes, half expecting to see light flow throughout my room, but it was dark and grey. Another gloomy day in Celestic, as usual. I was cocooned in my blankets. I flung my arm out, ready for it to be enclosed in cold. It wasn't. It was the same temperature as under the blankets. I made a face, but didn't question it. I moved my blanket and stepped out. I stood up. Something didn't feel right. I looked down at myself. I was wearing my usual pajamas, my hair hung around my body, I wiggled the toes on my bare feet.

Why wasn't this right? I looked around my room. Everything was fine. Then I realized what was wrong. Where was my Pokémon?! I had Togekiss and Roserade out last night, my usual sleep buddies. Then I took another sweep for my bag. It wasn't here, either. _What's going on? _I pushed my hair behind my ears. Then something clicked. "Sinnoh! Grandmother!" I shot out of my room.

When I made it to the living room, tears made its way into my eyes. The table was broken, the chairs were thrown across the room, the sofa was in shreds, the television had a huge hole in it, Grandmothers pots and pans lay scattered all over the floor.

There was blood that covered the ground. So much blood.

I covered my mouth. My hand was shaking. "Volkner!" I shrieked. I prayed that he was around somewhere, although last I saw him he slept on the now shredded couch. Volkner didn't answer, he didn't come to my rescue. I tear skidded down my face. I didn't understand what was going on. I ran to the door. _I must find out what's going on!_ I grabbed the handle and swung open the door, then everything made sense.

"Hello there, Cynthia Marie Everheart." Lea stood there. He wore all black, his brown hair a mess and hanging to his shoulders, and his eyes blood red. He stepped in. "Don't mind if I come in, okay?" His tone was genuine, but I didn't see through it. Tears poured out of my eyes. My lips were smashed together.

"Where is she!" I growled.

"Who, my dear?" He cracked a half smile.

"You _know_ who!" I screamed, my voice cracking. I wiped my face, my tears were replaced with sheer hatred and anger.

"Your precious grandmother and that back-stabbing, no-good gym leader are being well taken care of."

My eyes clicked to the pool of blood, then back at Lea. His eyes were still red, much like they were in my visions and nightmares, and now black smoke began to swirl around him. "Liar!" I accused. There was no way they could be 'well taken care of.'

"Me?" He looked offended. He made the perfect face, put out the perfect amount of emotions. His emotions were so genuine, so clean. "I would never!" True flowed around him. Genuine and love joined in; he was controlling his emotions.

Then, a light yellow light outlined him. I was confused at this, but ignored it. "Stop lying!" I yelled. He grinned. His emotions changed back to sinister, and the yellow light turned black, it blended in with the black smoke that circled him. _Wait a second._ I thought. _I…Can read his emotions. _Then it made the slightest bit of sense. I could read his emotions and see his aura. I didn't believe in auras, but I was surely seeing something. And when his black aura turned blood red, and the smoke got thicker to the point I couldn't see him, I knew something awful was bound to happen.

_He's going to fly at me with a sword, when he's two feet away, jump up and hit his back. _I thought to myself. _What? _I thought again, then Lea shot out of the smoke, with his long, blood-covered sword, and his black wings. I stood there, amazed and terrified, and then jumped up. He shot under me, and I put my palm out towards his back. Light beams shot out of my hand and pushed Lea to the ground. He hit the floor so hard, the wood cracked. I landed and spun around. Lea growled and flew up to face me. _He's going to come at me with a claw, but I can easily keep him away with my light beams. _It was definitely _me_ thinking to _myself_, but how did I know? I didn't know. Yeah, it's confusing for me too.

His hand turned into a huge Garchomp claw, he flew towards me. I held out my hand. _Weird powers, go! _Beams shot out and kept him from coming closer. He fought hard, but soon gave up and crashed to the ground. The scene changed. We were in a huge battle arena. I was on one side, he was on the other. The problem? I had no Pokémon. Did that mean he expected me to battle him _like _Pokémon?

"Now _I _have the home-court advantage!" He growled, his voice hoarse and husky. _The League. _I thought. His hands were clenched at his sides, his black, ghost-like wings grew larger, his eyes were blood-red, and so was his aura. His sword reappeared. Then his aura changed back to yellow. His wings disappeared, and he straightened his body, looking less like a savage and more like a human being. He held up his hands. "Why fight?" He asked, genuine leaking out of him.

"Because you're a monster!" I yelled.

"Am I?" He asked. His aura changed to a new color, green. "I don't think so." His tone was filled with sincerity. I nodded my head, too angry to speak. "Let's take a look." The scene changed again. We were in the mirror room, the room in my reoccuring nightmares. My bloody ball gown was on, and I had blood covering my face. I looked behind me for hanging, dead bodies, there were none. The slightest bit of relief hit.

Then Lea appeared, and it went away. I was sitting on the ground, and I couldn't stand up. I lifted my hand and hoped my beams would work, they didn't. I could no longer read his aura, either. I began to worry.

"Am I the monster?!" He yelled, his voice dripping with evil. Then his skin disappeared. The blood that filled his body crashed to the floor, leaving only a skeleton. He didn't have eyeballs, only gaping holes. He bent down and reached his boney fingers out to me and touched my face. "Am I?!" I screamed bloody murder.

"Miss Cynthia!" I heard in the distance. I continued to scream. "Miss Cynthia!" I stopped screamed. _Volkner! _Everything went black. I felt someone shaking me. My eyes shot open.

"Cynthia!" Grandmother shrieked. I looked around. Roserade, Thumper, Grandmother and Volkner all looked down at me. Grandmother was crying. Volkner looked worried, and Thumper was shaking and whining. I reached out and patted his head.

"What happened to you?" Volkner asked.

I grabbed my head. I had somewhat of a headache. I remembered all that had happened. The blood. So much blood. Leas skeleton. My powers. I fought the urge to cry. I made it a rule for myself never to cry in front of Grandmother. I closed my eyes. "Nightmare." I muttered, trying to keep my voice straight.

"Are you alright, dear?" Grandmother asked, attempting to tame her tears. I think she made a rule, too, to never cry in front of me. I had only seen her cry a few times in my life, and never when something awful happened. Not when Mother and Father died, not when Grandfather died, either. She really held herself together when those really bad things happened.

"Yes, I'm fine now." I took a deep breath, the tears went away. I opened my eyes. Grandmother took a step closer and touched my head. "You have an awful fever, and you're as pale as a ghost. You must have caught something up in Snowpoint, and now you're ill." She sighed. "That's probably the reason for your dream, too. You had us worried sick!" She placed a hand over her heart and took a few deep breaths. I took those breaths with her. And then sat up and hugged her. A nice, deep and long hug.

"I love you." I said. It was awful thinking I had lost her, she was more a mother to me then a grandmother.

"I love you more." She said in her gentle way. "I'll heat up some water for you, and then some soup. Nothing cures a sick baby more than a good pot of hot soup." She patted my shoulder and left the room.

Volkner looked at me. "Now, what _really_ happened to you?" I didn't say anything, because I wished I knew.

* * *

><p>I woke up for the second time that day. After my hot water and soup, I was exhausted. I went back to bed and slept for a few more hours. I felt <em>much<em> better when I woke up this time. I felt something heavy laying on my legs. I raised my head, Thumper peered up at me. He whined. He was really worried about me. I patted his head and scratched his neck. Roserade got up from her sleep on the floor. "He knocked you off the bed, huh?" I asked her. I petted her with my other hand. I smiled. I got out of bed, cold hit me hard. But it wasn't terribly cold, nothing like Snowpoint. I quickly got dressed. It was nice not having to wear my sweater and jacket. I put on my old jeans and a tee. I raked through my hair, threw it up in a bun, returned my Pokémon and walked out to the living room. Volkner and Grandmother sat at the table, chatting away. I looked around, everything was completely in its place. I sighed happily and walked over to them.

"How are you feeling?" Grandmother asked.

"Much, _much_ better." I smiled. I looked at Volkner. "We should probably head to Sunyshore soon."

"Can you fly?" He asked in disbelief, or was it worry? Probably both.

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm able to fly. That nightmare took a lot out of me." That was the truth. I was mentally broken after it, but was fine now. I did believe it was a nightmare, but slightly that it was a vision. Either way, it was probably provoked by my presence, which I _thought_ I had gotten rid of. But I couldn't feel it around, it normally was a bit present when I was having nightmares or visions. When I wake up, it normally greeted me. If it came back into the picture, I would rid it again with no hesitation. I made it through a war, snowstorm, and so much else without it, I didn't need the thing around.

"Alright." Volkner said, snapping me back to reality. "I'll get my things ready."

"I'll make some lunch before you go." Grandmother got up and bustled around the kitchen. I went to my room and got my clothes and quickly washed them in the bathroom. Then took a quick shower, which helped wake me up, and readied my bag. Half an hour later, after we ate cold bread with berry jam on it and Grandmother insisted I have the rest of the soup, we left off on Thumper, leaving that nightmare behind.

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Note: <strong>Hey look, the shortest chapter so far! I hope you enjoyed, even though it was short and weird. Short and weird is a good thing, right? Welp, only with some things, I guess. Heh.

Thanks for reading!


	40. Sights

_Chapter Thirty-nine: Sights_

_Fighting For Everything_

After a long day of flying, and a quick stop in Veilstone, we finally arrived in Sunyshore. We landed on the 'outer shore,' as Volkner called it, and spent some time on the beach. It was getting somewhat close to sunset time, so the sky took on an orange-and-blue state. The waves were unreal. The sapphire-like color, the green sea foam, and the creamy sand all mixed together for a beautiful sight. I kicked my shoes off and let my toes soak in the sand. It was so relaxing and calming.

I got very engrossed in the sight. The sound was hypnotizing; it put you in a different place in your mind. Volkner didn't really seem too engrossed, he actually seemed bored. But he stood there with me anyways. I finally realized I was too focused, and snapped out of it. We started walking towards the town.

And it was a sight to see. It looked so much like a Golden City. Tall buildings, lights everywhere, and it was a two-story town. That may seem illogical, but it was the truth. There were staircases that led up to glass walkways. There were buildings and houses set up there. The first level was filled with tall buildings and important building, the Center, Mart and lighthouse. But where most of the houses were located was towards the far side of town, where the mountain met the city. There were multiple rock levels, and quaint houses spotted it.

The only difference from a Golden City was the fact weird-haired freaks didn't roam around. And there was a sense of freshness and hominess. It was spectacular. The waves and beaches, along with the mountain, surrounded the town perfectly. I already didn't want to leave.

"This is amazing." I gaped.

"Meh, you get used to it." Volkner shrugged. "Want to see my place?" He smirked.

"Sure, I'd love to see the gym." Getting a feel for the battle arena made me a tad less nervous.

We began walking throughout the city. We came to the walkways and went up to the second level. The view was just as amazing. I kept making comments until Volkner was _really_ annoyed. I shut my mouth then. Actually, I continued making comments, except more dramatically. Until we stopped walking and he said "Want me to walk off this glass walkway to my plummeting death?" And _then_ I shut my mouth.

Soon, we came to the gym. It was yellow and black…And huge. We walked in. The floor was black with yellow paint, the walls were grey with beams lining the walls. The beams were glass. "Watch this." Volkner said. "Go Raichu." He released his Pokémon. "Thunderbolt." Raichu used Thunderbolt on a giant coil on the ceiling. Electricity sprung out and danced through the glass beams. It was really cool.

"That's just amazing. Everything here is." I looked around at the beams. It was like magic, maybe better.

"My apartment is upstairs, it's practically empty. I don't spend anytime up there. The only thing is, I don't have much space for an extra person."

"It's alright, I'd rather stay at the Center anyways."

"So when do you want to battle?" He asked.

"Tomorrow, maybe. I want to get a good bit of training done." I answered.

He nodded. "I have to admit, I'm excited about our battle." His smirk grew, and then fell. "But not excited about you facing Lea." _Me either, Volky. _

"I know." I said. "But I'll train for a while until I face him. It's not like there's a huge rush, the attacks have been put on hold, the camera crews haven't faced me in a good while, I just need to be physically and mentally ready."

"True, but how will you know when you're ready?"

I thought for a moment. "No idea. But how does anyone know they're ready? They just…Know."

"So _that's _what you're relying on? Just _knowing_?" He was aggravated, and I knew it was because he was worried about me.

"That's right."

He made a face then sighed. "Miss Cynthia, you confuse the crap out of me."

I laughed. "Yeah I know, and you confuse me a bit too."

He smirked. "Maybe that's a good thing."

"Maybe it means you're a dork."

"Well maybe…" He frowned. Then chuckled. "Maybe it means _you're _ a dork."

"Nice comeback, sir."

"Anytime."

We laughed. "I better get settled in the Center and find some dinner. Any recommendations?" I smirked.

"Doesn't matter, just stay away from the marketplace."

I cocked my head. "Why? I want food, the marketplace seems like a good place for that."

"The marketplace is also the black market, if you talk to the wrong people it could get you in trouble. Stick to the Mart, they have good tropical food. I could go with you, if you'd like."

"No, I think I can do this on my own." He nodded, and I said my goodbye and left. I didn't want him constantly tagging along with me, I'd be leaving in the next week or so for the League, and I didn't want to 'lead him on' so much. I decided against flat-out breaking it to him that we can't even be friends, and decided to slowly ease out of it. I was going with my gut, or my heart…Something around that general area. And this seemed right. So I was going to follow it.

I went back down to the first level and headed to the Mart nearby. I bought a few berries and happily ate them. Volkner was right, they were tropical. It was a nice change.

After, I went to the Center, got my room, which was an ocean view, popped the window open and curled up in bed; listening to the soft sounds of the waves.

* * *

><p>"Do it now!" I yelled. Roserade swung her arm back and slammed it into Gabite. She fell to the ground. Her chest turned a purple color and she threw up purple. That's what I wanted. "Great job Roserade." I was trying to teach her to use her own weapons, her arms, instead of waiting for me to command her. She was the worst of that. When I started teaching Gabite that, she happily started adding things to attack. Lucario was just a bit awkward when she attacked, it took her a few hits to loosen up. Once she did, she was deadly.<p>

Roserade was fast and flexible, she could dodge pretty good. And now with trying to make her even more powerful, she should be one of my best Pokémon. Milotic was tough, but she wasn't a dodger. She might have come from contests, which meant she somewhat believe in 'waiting your turn.' Waiting your turn is a rule for every battle, but gym battles, you're allowed to sneak in a double hit. Or a triple hit, if you could pull it off. In beginner battles, you had to wait your turn, and so did you in contests. Togekiss was ready for battling now, he was a great fighter. He didn't give up easily. But with double-hits? Not his strong point. He's not a very good thinker to do things on his own, either. Spiritomb was a wicked fighter, she didn't mind the 'improvise' lesson I taught.

Nevertheless, my Pokémon were tough. I had no worries about being able to beat Volkner. The Elite Four? Yes. Lea? Oh yes.

I smiled at Roserade. I had returned Gabite, hoping to get her out of her agony from Toxic Touch. "Great job, my Grass Type." I returned her and started back for the city. I had walked about a half an hour away from the place to find a good training spot. I found many on the way, but it wasn't far enough away. Really, I didn't want a certain blue-eyed Electric Type trainer to be able to find me, he already knows my battle style, I didn't want him to know anything else.

Soon I was walking on the outer beach. It was so bright outside it was crazy. That's one reason I woke up so early this morning; the bright light at sunrise. I had probably been training for five hours or so, it was a good session.

Once I made it back to the city I was instantly relaxed. I headed to the mart for an early lunch, and then to the Center to heal my Pokémon. Today was going to be spent training. I needed my Pokémon at their absolute best. Not only to beat Volkner, but for the Elites. For Lea. For everything.

* * *

><p>The next morning I woke up the same: Early. Some might complain over this, but I liked waking up early. I showered, put on fresh clothes, had breakfast and went out to the beach. I wanted to relax some before I trained and challenged the gym. Yesterday, all I did was train. My Pokémon hated me by the time we went to bed. But it was needed. Gabite was so close to evolving, <em>so close. <em>I needed to get her there.

I sat down on the sand, close enough so the water and roll up and touch my feet. It was so wonderful out there, I wondered why Volkner didn't care for it. _Maybe some people feel this way about forests or mountains, but the people who live there are used to it. I don't know how anyone could get used to this, though. You can get used to a big mountain, a grouping of trees, even cold white stuff covering everything, but not this. Not this. _

I sighed and lay back. A few Flying Type's filled the skies, other than that it was empty. Not a cloud anywhere. I smiled. This was nice.

Unfortunately, I couldn't let myself focus on this for too much longer, so I stood up. I started my walk out to my training spot. Once I got there, I released Gabite.

"Alright Gabite, we're going to get you to evolve today." She growled. Even though she didn't growl at me anymore, growling was her favorite thing to do. Possibly favorite thing ever. I released Lucario. "I'm going to command only Lucario. Gabite, it's all you. Give it your all."

They readied themselves. Lucario held out her palm, that was her battle pose. Gabite just stood there growling…Yeah, she didn't have the best pose. "Bone Rush." Lucario quickly leapt towards Gabite, calling her bone to her hand, and knocked it across Gabite's head. She growled and hissed, and tackled Lucario to the ground. _Don't let Gabite double-hit!_ "Force Palm." Lucario shoved her hand on Gabite's chest, pushing her off of her. Lucario jumped up and ran towards Gabite. "Bone Rush again." Lucario listened, she slammed the 'bone' on Gabite. Gabite lunged towards Lucario and sliced a glowing claw down her stomach. Then, she spewed Dragon magic and knocked Lucario to the floor. Lucario didn't stay down, though.

"Metal Claw." I commanded. Lucario's paw morphed into a steel claw, she lunged in, but didn't attack. This scared Gabite, so she jumped into the air. Lucario used her other arm to knock Gabite to the ground, and then use Metal Claw. It was a critical hit. Gabite didn't have much left.

Gabite went back to her feet. She hissed and waited for Lucario to strike, I wasn't going to command because I knew Gabite was planning something, but Lucario fell for it. She jumped towards her to attack, but Gabite jumped towards her, too. They slammed into each other, and Lucario flew backwards and hit the dirt hard. Gabite happily landed back on her feet, not harmed.

Then, light surrounded her. It engrossed her. I could see that she was taking on a new form; her last form. When the light subsided, I smiled at my Pokémon. "Garchomp."

* * *

><p>I faced the large building. A crowd of people stood in front of it, cheering me on. A cameraman stood there with his camera pointed straight at me, and I suspected there were more inside. What would I expect from Jubilife? They needed to catch everything important. And my last gym was important. Wasn't it? I had two thought going through my head. Number one, it wasn't as important as I was thinking it was. I should've just turned around and walked away. Go home. My second thought, this is really important, I love battling, let's put Lea on his knees. I followed the second.<p>

I took a deep breath and walked into the building. There were more crowds and a cameraman who met me at the door. I showed no fear. I _knew _Lea would be watching this. Even though I had mixed feelings about Mister Lea, I wasn't going to let him know that. Unless he was actually visiting me in my dreams and was the presence that haunted me and actually knew my deepest thoughts. Then that made everything more confusing. And I didn't need more confusing. So naturally, I pushed _that_ thought away.

I made my way to the battlefield. Volkner stood at his place. He smirked at me when our eyes met, but otherwise he actually seemed…Sad. He always seemed sad, so I didn't look into it. I stood at my side of the field, him at his. I started to feel a bit intimidated. For the right reasons, though. One, he was a tough competitor. Two, he knew all my Pokémon, and I only knew one of his. Three, he knew my battle style, I didn't know his. And four, he was pretty intimidating anyways.

Volkner started walking to the middle of the field. I hesitated, then did the same. I was a bit confused. We met in the middle. "Hello, Cynthia." He said. Where was the 'Miss' before my name? What? He reached out his hand. "I'm Volkner, nice to meet you."

Then it made sense. All these people didn't know we actually had spent the past however long together. I smiled. "Nice to meet you too." I shook his hand. "Ready to lose?" My smile morphed into a grin.

His smirk grew into a…Bigger smirk. He wasn't necessarily one for smiles. "Not today." He winked and walked back to his side. As if I was supposed to know what _that_ meant. I walked back to my place, faced him, and readied myself. _You can do this. You've got this, you have the type advantage. You mostly have the power advantage. You just have to pull through and get the strategy advantage. _

He grabbed a Pokéball from his belt. "Jolteon, go." The yellow Electric Type Pokémon came out. He growled and his skin rippled with electricity.

I decided to start with the obvious choice, Lucario. "Lucario, start us off well!" My Pokémon materialized and got into the battle stance. It wasn't as neat as rippling skin, but…It was something.

"Use Thunder." Volkner commanded. Jolteon focused and electricity busted out if him. It zapped over to Lucario and hit her. "Thunder Fang." Before the first move was over, Jolteon rushed over to my Pokémon. Then just as he approached, Thunder stopped and he lunged in and bit Lucario. She howled and pushed the Electric Type off her.

"Bone Rush." Instantly Lucario had the 'bone' in her hand. She whipped it around and knocked Jolteon with it. She pushed him a few feet to the side, almost meeting the end of the field. "Force Palm." I decided to get a double-hit in. Lucario ran to the foe and punched his chest. Jolteon was thrust into the air.

"Thunder." Jolteon shot electricity at my Pokémon. Lucario fell to the ground, but quickly recovered.

"Bone Rush." When the rival fell back to the ground, Lucario jumped up and slammed back down on him. Jolteon hissed and squirmed underneath her. She punched Jolteon's face and then leapt up.

"Discharge." Volkner shouted. Jolteon shot more static electricity towards Lucario. She easy avoided the attack by leaping into the air.

"Bone Rush!" I took the opportunity. She landed then sprinted to the foe. She hit him with the bone, sending him flying backwards and landed somewhere behind Volkner in a crowd of people. It was either a critical hit, or Jolteon was just too weak to use any defense. The crowd formed around the fallen Pokémon, and Volkner returned him. He looked unfazed, like he was used to seeing his Pokémon go down. This was a bit perplexing in its own sense.

He switched out Pokéballs. "Raichu." His trusty Electric type was released.

"Metal Claw!" I yelled. Lucario swiftly met the foe. She swiped her claws across Raichu's stomach, leaving red lines in their tracks. Raichu hissed and pushed Lucario backwards.

"Quick Attack." Volkner commanded. Raichu quickly tackled Lucario, they fell to the ground. "Charge Beam!" Electricity exploded out of Raichu and Lucario cringed. She threw the Pokémon off of her and jumped up.

"Force Palm." She continued forward and punched Raichu. He was thrust out of the battle zone, the crowd around were both excited and shocked at the sight. They clapped for me, and I grinned. Raichu jumped up and started sprinting towards my Pokémon.

"Quick Attack." Volkner called. Raichu obeyed, and the two Pokémon met the ground. Lucario coughed and used Force Palm and pushed the opponent off of her. She rolled on her stomach and pushed herself up. When she did this she looked very human-like. But when she roared, that quality went away.

"Bone Rush." I commanded. Raichu started to charge at my Pokémon, but she lifted her paw into the air, and the energy bone appeared. Lucario waited for just a second as the rival approached, and then she whipped the bone around and knocked Raichu to the floor.

"Get up!" Volkner shouted. He wasn't vindictively yelling this, more like he was worried I would take the upper hand. "Focus Blast!" Raichu got back up. He put his paws together, and a light sphere started to form. The sphere grew and then shot towards Lucario.

"Dodge it," I tried, but the blast hit Lucario. She fell to the ground, her eyes rolling back in her head. I returned her and contemplated my next Pokémon. I decided to go with Roserade, she had been on her game a lot recently. "Roserade, let's go!" She came out and twirled around. The crowd cheered and chanted mine and Volkner's names. I looked to my right, a cameraman stood there with the camera pointed right on me. I focused forward and back on the battle. I met a pair of blue eyes from across the field. He was staring me down. I couldn't read him from across the way, but I got the feeling he wasn't exactly happy. But what did I expect?

"Raichu, Charge Beam." Roserade covered her face with her flower hands, but she still took a good hit.

"Magical Leaf." I commanded. Colored leaves spun around Rosrade, then they swarmed over to the foe and attacked. Raichu fell to the ground and hissed. He got back up and showed his teeth.

"Quick Attack!" Volkner yelled. Raichu tackled Roserade, she squirmed underneath him. She escaped him quickly and jumped backwards.

"Mega Drain." Roserade focused, and then started sucking the energy out of the opponent. She breathed in, and when she breathed in, Raichu fell to the floor and curled up in a ball. He cried out, and then stopped. And so did Roserade, she had finished him off. I slightly smiled. The crowd roared.

Volkner returned Raichu and grabbed his next Pokéball. "Luxray, go!" The blue feline came out and roared. The roar was weak, but the Pokémon was very built.

"Magical Leaf." Roserade used the move perfectly, Luxray slumped to the floor. He quickly got back up and looked at his trainer.

"Thunder Fang." Luxray lunged toward my Pokémon, mouth agape and showing electricity bouncing about. He chomped down. Roserade screamed. She always was dramatic. "Ice Fang." Luxray kept his jaw locked on Roserade's neck, but when Roserade screeched louder, you could tell _something_ changed.

"Roserade, come on, fight him off!" She pushed him off and changed the table completely, she was on top of him. "Mega Drain." She breathed in, he cried out.

"Crunch!" Luxray threw her on the ground again, and re-sunk his teeth into my Pokémon. She responded better by calling Magical Leaf and fighting him off. This was one of those times where I actually _didn't_ mind my Pokémon using their moves without my consult. Roserade stood in front of me, and Luxray took his place in front of Volkner. It was like we were starting over, which wasn't a bad idea anyways.

"Magical Leaf!" I shouted. Roserade used the move, and Luxray avoided only some of the hits.

"Fire Fang." That wasn't good. Luxray, with flames spilling out of his mouth, met Roserade and bit her arm. The flames ate up her flower body, she fell to the ground and fainted. I frowned and returned her.

"Garchomp, win for me!" My trusty Dragon Type came out with a growl. I was ready to take this battle home.

"Ice Fang!" Luxray started to sprint.

"Dig!" Garchomp jammed her body under the cement floor. How she managed to do that…I will never know. Then, she shot up out of the ground, right under Luxray, and sent him flying into the air. He slammed back down on the ground, with one last huff, he fainted.

Now, the battlefield was disheveled, and Volkner was down to his last Pokémon. I took a deep breath. My heart picked up. _Final Gym battle. Final Gym battle. _I was more than ready.

"Go, Electivire." The big yellow and black Pokémon came out.

"Dragon Rage." Garchomp blew blue energy at the rival. He roared and started towards my Pokémon.

"Fire Punch." He made his hand into a fist, and then it erupted in flames. He swung his arm up and punched Garchomp. She stumbled backwards then growled.

"Dragon Claw!" Her hand lit up and she sliced her claw across the foes body.

"Electivire, use Quick Attack." The Pokémon tackled Garchomp. She quickly pushed him away and returned to her face. She spewed blue stuff, using Dragon Rage. I wasn't complaining.

"Dig!" She made another hole in the ground. My eyes cut to Volkner, he seemed unfazed about this. Garchomp shot up and knocked the rival down. Electivire roared and tripped Garchomp, she smacked the ground. She let out a big dragons roar and got back up. Electivire got up at the same time, and they stared each other down.

"Fire Punch!" Volkner yelled. The opponent punched Garchomp in the stomach. She doubled-over. "Giga Impact!" Electivire started to glow. Then, he tackled Garchomp and pushed her to the ground. She grimaced at the impact, but the Dragon Clawed down his chest, and he jumped away. She got on her feet, not as quickly as she had been, and looked at me.

"Dig." I commanded. I hoped that would be the end. She jumped into one of the holes, and we waited. We waited for a long while. _Sinnoh, what's going on? _Electivire started sending electricity down every hole. I knew that wouldn't effect Garchomp, but I thought that would at least scare her out. It didn't. "Garchomp?" I called. I looked at Volkner. He shrugged and looked just as confused as I did. Electivire became restless. He ran around, roaring, electricity bouncing off of him.

Then, Garchomp exploded from the ground. She came right form under him, bringing all the dirt and cement with her. It knocked the foe to the ground in one big bang, and he was out for the count. I grinned. Everything went in slow motion. Garchomp looked at me and nodded, Volkner staying back as a crowd of people circled me, along with a few cameramen. A Jubilife News reporter shoved a microphone in my face and asked me questions like "How are you feeling? Are you excited about the League? Are you going to continue? What's Next?" I normally would have flipped out at these questions, but I kept calm. I answered things with no sweat, and soaked in my victory. I looked across the field for Volkner, he had a cameraman and fan club around him, too.

So, what's next, now? I had answered the question nonchalantly, as I should have, but the question _did_ itch in my mind. The answer that popped into my head was to move onto the next step, The Elites. It would take a while of training, but I would get to that point. I would face Lea.

I would keep fighting for everything.

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Note: Whoo! Yeah! Thirty-nine chapters later, we're done with the gyms! Who's ready for the final chapters?! Mmmhhmm. Yeah. Eat up that good juicy lamb chop. <strong>

**...Sorry you had to read that. Moving on. **

**Hah, I bet I confused you all with that 'dream' last chapter! Was it a nightmare? Vision? OR REALITY?! What are yalls theories? Hmmm? Well, you're wrong. Hehe. Here's a hint: It has to do with Pokémon. Crazy, right? **

**Alright I'm done with that. Sorry for the delay, but I have a hot date with two hotdogs, or I would yap some more. Leave a pretty little review while you're at it. **

**Thanks for reading! **


	41. Mantras

_Chapter Forty: Mantras_

_The Next Step_

The water rolled up over my feet. I dug my toes into the muddy, wet sand. The waves came up again. I sighed contently.

"I thought I'd find you here." I heard Volkner behind me. I looked over my shoulder, he came to my side. "Hey."

"Hi." I hadn't seen him since the gym earlier today.

"So…What are you going to do next?" He asked, cutting right to the point.

Ah, that question. I had gotten it so much since I left the gym. Just from random commoners out in town. The answer was simple, although I had some second thoughts. Only somewhat, but still, they were there. Lots of trainers stop right here. Beat the last gym and then stop. Maybe move on to another region and start fresh there. Maybe strive to become a gym leader, maybe pick a town, move there and get a job and start your life. All those options didn't seem any good. I couldn't leave my region, I couldn't do that to Sinnoh…Or Grandmother. Becoming a gym leader didn't seem, well, good enough. When you have strong thoughts on being the champion, gym leader seemed like a step down. I guess I knew what Annie meant when she said becoming the gym leader would be a step down. On picking a new town, the only tow that seemed 'worthy' was this town. And living so far away from Grandmother, and in practically a Golden City, wasn't appealing.

So I settled with my original answer. "Get ready to beat Lea." I answered. My voice showed no hesitation, even though I felt some clogging my heart.

"Then I guess there's no stopping it, huh?"

I looked at him, assuming to see that he was joking, but he wasn't. "What?"

"You're going to challenge him one way or another. And I can't stop it." He sighed and messed up his hair.

I was dumbfounded. "Why would you want to stop it? Don't you want Lea out of business?"

"Yeah, I do, but I don't want you in danger." Sincerity filled his voice. I looked out towards the water and sighed. This time out of frustration. He was right to some extent, I was in danger. "You really think you're going to put Lea out of business?"

I looked back at him and frowned. "Why couldn't I? I did to you."

"Ouch," he pretended to wince, "that hurt." He smirked, then returned to his somber took. "Lea isn't going to go down. Not now, not ever. Why do you think you were my first challenger, Miss Cynthia?"

I bit my lip. "Maybe because I'm actually strong enough to have made it here. When others, like Maxina, weren't."

"Just think about it for a second, Maxina made it through a few gyms, she was a pretty good trainer, and then out of the blue she stopped. And now she's a contest champion, on the news all the time, doing everything. Other trainers ended up the same way. They just…Stopped." That was true, but I didn't see how that applied to me. Volkner continued, "You just randomly stopped, remember?" Yes, I did quit, but I still wasn't following. "If you didn't come back, you still would be in Celestic. Why do you think everyone stopped?"

"I don't know. I stopped because I kind of got intimidated by the whole idea, I'm sure I wasn't the only one to have those thoughts."

"Probably not. But don't you see what I see?"

"…No." I muttered.

"You're the only one to have made it to the point your next step is Lea. Don't you think Lea doesn't like that? He didn't like it when Maxina, and everyone else, made it as far as they did, so he stopped them." He talked quickly, like he had just come up with a huge conspiracy.

"Maybe he did, but he didn't do that to me."

"Didn't he?" He gave me a look. "You were intimidated by him. That's why you quit. He did stop you, by not even doing anything but breathing."

"Yes…I guess that's right, but he surely didn't do anything further to disrupt me."

"Didn't he?" His eyes widened. "The war, that was something wasn't it?"

"He doesn't know I'm a rebel." I know I should have said _was_ a rebel…But that wasn't what spilled out of my mouth.

"You don't know that."

"He would have attacked Celestic. He would have killed me. He would have ratted me out to the news. He doesn't." I shook my head. _There's no way he would have let me live this long. _

"Think about it. Floaroma and Eterna are on sacred grounds, they're neutral. Celestic is on sacred grounds, too."

"What? No it's not." It actually wasn't.

"Well then, it must be something else."

"Can't you just believe that with hard work I've made it here?!" I scoffed. "It just has to be because I'm 'untouchable' by Lea, right?" I turned towards him.

He frowned. "That's not what I said. Hear me out."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Fine."

"We all can guess that Lea isn't just sitting up there doing nothing, right?" I nodded. "And with the attacks, Lea has hardly done anything to cover them up. Now that they're over, he needs something to get everyone's attention away from something. That's where you come in. I mean, a trainer making it this far, that's a big deal. Everyone's all pumped up cheering for you or cheering against you, right?"

I thought for a moment. "Maybe. But that doesn't make much sense. Why are you trying to talk me out of beating Lea?"

"I'm not. Just trying to get you to see why this is dangerous."

"You're trying to talk me out of it." I said.

He sighed. "You're right."

"Yeah I am. So save your breath and stop. It's happening. I'm going." I held my ground.

"Okay, I'll stop. Just know I don't want you to leave."

"Volkner, I don't care." I didn't mean that to be hurtful, and Volkner didn't seem hurt. But I felt bad for saying it that way.

"Yeah I guessed that." He said. "When are you going to leave to the League?"

I thought for a second. "I don't know. I have to do intense training." But before I started training, I had business to take care of.

* * *

><p>Four days later, I sat on my Center bed with my psychics book in my hands. The past few days have been training, and reading that book. My presence had obviously returned and gave me that nightmare, and I was trying to call my little fiend back.<p>

I had found a chant I was supposed to say, to call any sprits to you to make contact. It felt childish doing it, but I wanted to know why this presence was here, but not here. Like it was spying on me, but I couldn't feel it to know I was being spied on.

I sighed. _Here goes nothing. _"Spirits, spirits, blue and white, I call you out to come out of fright, you come and go, seek and hide, I'm willing to be by your side. Spirits, spirits, come to me, contact, contact, I am willing. Spirits, spirits, here me out, come see me, right now." I felt something around me. Fear shot through me. Unbearable fear. The hair on my neck stood up, and a black shadow appeared in front of me. This wasn't my presence. I peered at the book; there was the reverse chant under the one I just read. "Won thgir, em ees emoc, tuo em ereh, stirips, stirips. Gnilliw, ma I, tcatnoc, tcatnoc, em ot emoc, stirips, stirips. Edis ruoy yb eb ot gnilliw, mi, edih dna kees, og dna emoc uoy, thgirf fo tuo emoc ot tuo uoy llac I, etihw dna eulb, stirips, stirips!" That was pretty hard to read, much less say. But once I said it the shadow went away.

"Well that worked on the wrong ghost." My heart rate went down a lot. Why didn't my presence show up? Was my spirit not blue and white? Was mine not in fright? I looked for another chant. I had ventured into the market to find this book, and I was actually surprised to learn the marketplace wasn't as bad as Volkner said. Although, the fact that there was a table devoted to psychosomatics, it wasn't the safest place I'd presume.

There was another one that looked helpful. The description said _Rhyme of Spirits, to contact you with the Spirit World. Caution: The Rhyme of Spirits is not to be taken for granted; keep out of reach of Wrong Doers. _I would definitely keep it out of Wrong Doers hands. "Ghostly hands crawl up the spine, they have the power to stop time. Black shadows appear and disappear, even when you think they're not around, they're here. Connections to The World is slim, but take me there, or be cursed by Them. Boney fingers curl and uncurl, take me, take me, to the Spirit World." I took a deep breath when I was done. I felt the room start to spin, and freaked out. I looked back at the chants. No reverse chant. Then I remembered at the beginning of the book, the chant to reverse the chants that don't have their own Reverses. "Reverse the curse! Reverse the curse! Reverse the curse!" I yelled, and then the room stopped, and I fell to the floor. "Visiting the ghost world…Bad idea." I rolled on my back and brought the book back to my face. I scanned the next few pages. "_Rhyme of The Worlds_, nope. _Song For The Dead_, nope. _The Black Fire Poem_, nope. _Song of Love_, nope. _Song of Hate_, nope." All seemed unhelpful. I've tried quite a few chants the last few days, and nothing helped. They either set a small fire in my room, made me fall on the floor, brought a spirit (That wasn't mine) into my room, or made my room smell like something died in it.

But nonetheless, I was learning things just by reading the chants. Most of them had something helpful in them. Like the _Rhyme of Spirits_ said 'They have the power to stop time.' A lot of others said things like that, too. Like the _Song of Suns_, said that spirits could only haunt you in the moonlight, but then its sister song, _Song of Moons, _said that spirits could burst into flames at the sight of the sun.

Of course that wasn't helpful to my situation, it was just neat. And the _Song of Hate_ said that all who loved would drown in the pool of sorrows and misery…And the _Song of Love_ said that all who hate will be swallowed by the lowly, loveless souls of their ancestors…So how trustworthy was the writing in this book, anyway? Probably not very. Except for the ones that talked about Death, and talked like Death was a person, waiting for the right moment to strike and throw you into the Lake of Fire. Yeah, that was freaky.

I closed the book and threw it on the floor. The front cover was brown pokther, smooth Pokémon skin, and had the words _Mantras of Hex: A Psychosomatics Chant, Written By The Sung Brothers _etched on it_. _I had no idea what any of that meant, but considering it only cost one coin, it was worth the buy. Even though it did nothing good…Oh well. I sat on my bed. "Thumper, you can come out now." Togekiss crawled out from under the bed and up next to me. Having spirits around scared the poor guy. I patted his head. "It's okay now." He nuzzled my leg. I closed my eyes. _Presence, if you're listening, either come now and explain yourself, or leave and stop causing trouble. That means no nightmares, visions, or anything else. _I thought. I tried to be loud, but, that was hard, considering it was in my head.

I felt Thumper relax as he laid his head on my leg, and I couldn't feel a thing around. I waited for a few minutes, and then lay down and relaxed, myself. _Well, I guess you chose your fate. _I flipped to page thirteen, I memorized that page. It had three random chants, I read the last one aloud.

"Listening and hearing, speaking and talking, I am done with your haunting, I am closing my ears. Blocking you out and not shedding my tears." The room felt just a little bit emptier. I closed the book and put it in one of the drawers to my side. _Goodbye, Presence. This time for real._

* * *

><p>Three days later, I stood at Grandmothers door in Celestic Town. I decided that I needed to start my intense training, and going to the beach everyday wasn't helping me focus. Volkner had told me that relaxing was good, which it was, but a week of relaxing was enough. So I went home to train. Volkner wanted to come with me, but I told him no. I wasn't sure what he thought would happen once I became champion, but he wasn't liking the idea of us no longer spending so much time together. I needed to start enforcing what Jamie said sooner or later. And now seemed like a good enough time. I didn't tell him to never talk to me again or something like that, I just said no. That was a start, right?<p>

I took a deep breath and reached for the knob. It was about dinnertime, Grandmother should have been home. I opened the door, the sweet smell of cookies filled my nose. I grinned. It had been a while since I had Grandmothers cookies. I closed the wooden door behind me.

"Cyn-Cyn!" Clarice was in the kitchen with Grandmother, munching on a sugar cookie. She darted over to me and flung herself in my arms. I picked her up and held her close.

"Hey, Clare-Clare." I laughed. Grandmother came over and smiled as she finished eating a cookie.

"If I would have known fixing cookies will bring you home, I would have made them a long time ago." She smiled and hugged the two of us. A three-person hug.

Clarice squirmed out of my arms and jumped up and down. "Yeah, Grema just pulled them out. You're here just in time!" She smiled, revealing dough-covered teeth. Grandmother and I laughed at her. She laughed and ran back to grab another cookie. Grandmother grinned and embraced me again.

"How are you, dear? I saw your battle the other day." She said as she pulled away.

"I'm doing well. I'm here to train up before challenging the League." I said. Clarice returned and handed me a cookie. It was warm in my hand, I took a bite. It was delicious. I grinned.

Grandmother nodded. "I assumed as much. Training starts tomorrow, right? After cookies and Moo Moo Milk?" She smiled gently.

I nodded. "Yeah, after that." I said with a mouthful. I sat down with Clarice and Grandmother. She must have gone to Solaceon today, because she had fresh Moo Moo Milk. I chowed down and listened to Clarice tell a story about the fishy pond, and soon Jamie came over to take Clarice home. But when she saw me, she sat at the table and joined us until Bianca came to see why her kids never returned. Well, they didn't return because they had cookies and milk, who would leave that?!

Sitting with my family was awesome. I relaxed in my chair and ate another sugar cookie. Life was close to perfection, and I was _ready _for the next step.

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Note: This was a fun chapter to write! I loved it. Although, I need to try and break my bad habit of writing clichés at the end of every chapter. Goodness. As for the delay for my chapter...I'm sorry. The next few chapter are all Elites and the Champion battle, and since I despise writing battles, it's intimidating me. (Spoiler alert? Ah, too late.) Even now the next chapter, that has a battle, isn't complete. Very close, though! And I have a new way of writing them, I write in the commands first, and go back and add the description. Believe it or not, the commands is the hard part. You have to think through all the moves. It's a PAIN. I'm HURTING just thinking about it. Oh well. I hurt because it works. Hah, rhyme. <strong>

**So, DeathGoblin, that being said...Any tips for those battles? You seem to know what you're talking about. **

**How am I doing? This chapter was fun...I felt it lacked some things in some places...But otherwise, it was good. You know, I'm not reading any Fanfictions these days (Well, I'm not reading them because they're not being updated...Cough, cough, to those writers who need to update) so, does anyone have any good ones (And not too long) FF's to recommend? Something original, that's updated frequently Sheesh, I'm asking for a lot. Well...That's your mission! **

**New subtitle...Opinions? The Next Step. Not very exciting. She ain't runnin' from herself nomore, and she ain't fightin' fo everythin'. Just stepping to the next step. ...That was incredibly annoying. What if I really spoke that way? Yall would never know.**

**Wish me luck on writing those battles...THE PAIN I GO THROUGH FOR YOU PEOPLE. SHEESH. **

**Thanks for reading. **


	42. Waterfall

_Chapter Forty-one: Waterfall_

_The Next Step_

The sound of the bathroom door squeaking open woke me. It was unusually cold in my room, I guessed that Grandmother hadn't even got the fire going. The fire warmed the whole house, at least somewhat. I yawned and turned on my side. I disrupted both Thumper and Roserade, who both raided my bed. "You guys do know this is a twin-size, right?" Roserade made a gurgle noise and I pushed her off the bed. She jumped up and glared at me. Garchomp, who sat at the foot of my bed, let out a dragon laugh. I laughed, too. "I guess that means it's time to get up." I stood up and stretched. Cold hit me like a brick. A brick filled with ice cubes. I found my old, three-sizes-too-big sweatshirt and pulled it over my head. It was Grandfathers favorite sweatshirt, that's why I kept it. When I was feeling really down, I would put on one of my father's tees and my grandfather's sweatshirt. It just made me feel better.

I walked out of my room and walked into the living room. I could hear the shower running. I put some pellets in the fireplace and warmed up next to it. Then I decided to make breakfast for Grandmother and I. On her birthday I would always wake up early and make breakfast, and since I would be leaving for the League today, I wanted to do something special for her.

I fumbled around looking for things. The day before I collected a good bit of berries from my berry bush and brought them in, so I decided to mash them up for jam. I started mashing. Then, I found some bread. I toasted it and spread the berry jam over it with the last bit of butter from our cupboard. The other day Jamie made some juice for us, so I got two cups of juice. All in all, we had toast and jam with berries on the side, juice, and two pancakes each. How I found all the items to make pancakes beat me, but that didn't matter. When Grandmother came out, she was so pleased with the sight. She sat down and ate breakfast with me. Yes, I did know that it could have been the last time we had breakfast like this…Who knew what all would change.

"Are you nervous?" Grandmother asked in-between bites.

"Yes." I admitted. "But I'm also excited and happy."

"That's good." She smiled. "Everyone here has been talking about you challenging the League, it's wild."

"Yeah? That is kind of crazy." I started to say something else, but someone started banging on the door. Grandmother scurried up and over. She started to open the door, but the person stormed in and almost knocked her over.

Isis, Ember's mother, held up a piece of paper. "I got a letter from Ember!" She yelled. She was crying and grinning.

Grandmother composed herself. "That's great!"

"That's really great, Misses Isis." I said. I hadn't told anyone about my meeting with Ember.

Isis wiped her face with her hand. She lifted the paper up to her face and started to read. "Dear Mom and Dad, I'm safe and in Eterna City. I'm staying with a friend here. I'm working, eating and staying under a roof. The people here are great, everything's very different from Celestic. I'm sorry I stormed off, it was very wrong of me. I was confused, but things are clear to me now. I can't come home just yet. Please try to understand. Just trust me. I'll be home soon, hopefully. Don't worry too much about me, I'm doing good. Love, Ember." Tears started streaming down her face again. "Donald is going to start heading over there today. He's going to get our son and bring him home." The last few words were hardly audible.

"Oh, Isis, do you think that's really a good idea?" Grandmother asked. She sat Isis down on the sofa. I was glad Grandmother was going to talk her out of it. Ember was hiding from The Callousen, and getting up the courage to come home and apologize. He would come home when he was ready.

"Carolina, I know you're trying to help, but as a parent I _need_ to see my son again. I had thought the worst! I miss him and so does Don. We want him home."

"No one understands missing their children better than I do, believe me, but he needed his space. He's only now realizing he was wrong. Just give him his space, he will come home, I promise."

"How can you be so sure? He's been gone more than a month! I thought he was…Was…" She put her head in her hands weeping.

Grandmother put her hand on her shoulder for comfort. "I know. But you don't want to make him feel…Smothered. Let _him_ come to _you_."

After a few minutes, Isis took Grandmothers words to heart. She didn't say she was going to tell Donald not to leave, but she did consider it. She said her goodbyes and left, and Grandmother and I went back to breakfast. We enjoyed our meal with pleasant small talk, and then I went to packing. A week at home was nice, but I was ready to get back out there. My Pokémon had improved so much; I was ready to show off their new strengths.

Grandmother sat on my bed while I packed, and she talked to me about random things. She seemed sad, and that made me sad. But I had to leave. She knew that. I knew that.

I slung my bag over my shoulder and walked to the front door. Grandmother pushed my loose hairs that had fallen from my bun behind my ears. "What Winnie would say now." She smiled. "He would be the proudest man alive. Much like I am the proudest woman alive." We walked outside. I released Thumper. I turned towards Grandmother.

"Grandmother…Thank you for…Everything." Tears stung my eyes. I took her into an embrace. Maybe tomorrow I would beat the League. If I did, I wouldn't live here anymore. I wouldn't have Grandmother looking after me anymore. Currently she wasn't _really _looking after me, but there was some part of me that still knew Grandmother was parenting me still. But if I lived at the League, she really wouldn't be looking after me. That hurt, but also excited me. Growing up was…Well, a big deal.

I broke the hug. We hugged for a while, but it didn't feel like enough. "Stay safe." She told me, and I nodded. "I love you Cynthia."

"I love you Grandmother." I held the tears back. I got on Thumper. "Goodbye, I'll see you as soon as I can."

"Goodbye." She held back her tears, too. And I knew we both wanted to cry. This was different then the first time I left.

I didn't wait any longer. I soared up into the sky. And as soon as I was out of sight, I shed a few tears. I'm sure Grandmother did the same. But as quickly as I shed them, I stopped. And excitement took its place.

* * *

><p>Later that day, I arrived on the outer beach. It was a perfect beach day, so it was full of families and kids. The shore wasn't as appealing when it was full of people. So I kept walking into town. The smell was delightfully salty and, at the same, fresh. I made my way to the Center and got my room. Unfortunately, I didn't get my ocean view room. But the room was good nonetheless. I sat my stuff down and sat on the bed. I contemplated visiting Volkner, but decided against it.<p>

I clicked the television on. Just in time for Jubilife News. Great. A bad windstorm hit Sandgem, not a lot of damage, but a few trees fell over. Lea put the lakes on extra lockdown, and the anchors had theories to discuss. Then, the topic changed to me. That was a bit weird, but I guess I should have been used to it. They talked about how sources said I arrived in Sunyshore, and that meant I was going to head to the League. Well, at least they were accurate one time.

A few hours passed. I got dinner from the Mart and took a long shower. I curled up in bed, most of my Pokémon hanging out in my bedroom, and looked at the ceiling._ Tomorrow, everything will change._

* * *

><p>I woke up a bit earlier then I had been. Excitement filled my stomach. I was actually excited about having these battles. Nervousness was there, too, but excitement was definitely a card being played. I put on a grey tee and jeans, and threw my hair into a tight bun. "Roserade, how do I look?" I asked, although I couldn't care less. She made a positive noise, so I took that as "You look great, Cynthia."<p>

I returned all my Pokémon and ran down to the lobby and grabbed breakfast. While I was eating, someone approached me. I should have guessed he'd come see me before I left.

Volkner smirked. "Hey." He sat down at my table.

"Hey." I greeted.

"Leaving today?"

"I was going to take off as soon as I was done."

He took a deep breath. "You're going to do great, you know that, right?"

I smiled and nodded. "Yeah I know."

He slightly laughed. "You'll have to visit me."

"I'm sure we'll see each other. A gym leader and a champion must meet some, right?"

"Not Lea's way, but, with your way…Sure." He said.

"So what do you do with yourself? Just wait for challengers to come by? Maybe train a little here and there? What?" I was curious. It seemed like a good time to ask.

Volkner shrugged. "My reason for life changes. One day it's because I wanted to pursue training, the next day it was because I wanted to be a gym leader, the next day it was because I wanted to learn more and more about Pokémon."

I wasn't sure how I felt about those answers. "And what's your reasoning for life today?" I popped a berry in my mouth.

He thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. Maybe it's waiting around for something amazing to happen."

I shrugged. "That seems like an okay reason." I lied, I didn't like that answer.

"Yeah, not as fulfilling as it could be. But it's something."

I nodded and stared at my empty plate. _Time to go_. I looked at Volkner. He smirked. "Good luck, Champion. Us gym leaders are cheering you on. I'll be cheering you on."

"Thank you, Volky." I grinned and stood up, he did the same.

"Anytime, Miss Cynthia." We walked out to the back beach. I looked out towards the water. I couldn't see anything but water for miles.

"My destination is out there, right?"

"Yep. The big ugly League set on top of a waterfall." He sighed. "You're really going? Do you want to back out? We could go to Hearthrome and buy big wigs and live surreptitious lives as Goldens."

I laughed. The thought of that was humorous. Me in a big wig was an awful thought. A big, pink wig, with curls and bows. Volkner would have a green wig, since that was the more manly color. It would lay to his shoulders and flip out on the ends. I would have to wear a big puffy dress. Pink, to match my hair, most likely. With ruffles overflowing and lace everywhere. He would have to wear one of those weird suits, with the pants that came to the knee, but white stockings underneath. And a bowtie, to tie it in. My face would be covered in makeup so no one would recognize me. I laughed again. "No. I'm going. I'm gone." I looked at him. He didn't have anything to say. I released Thumper and got on him. "See you." I smirked.

"Bye, Miss Cynthia."

Thumper and I took off in the skies. It looked like water for miles, but I knew I would reach my destination soon.

* * *

><p>The waterfall was <em>huge. <em>You could barely hear yourself think when next to the roaring waters. You could see the League, sitting on the mountain. It was huge, too. Much bigger than I expected. It stood five stories tall, at least. And it was long. Maybe four gyms long, and just as wide. The grey bricks reminded me of what lines Canalave. It was completely reconstructed since Lea took charge. Every window was stain glass, with a different picture in each. The front door was a huge, wooden, medieval door. The building looked terrifying. Maybe that was Lea's point? Probably. It wasn't just scary, it was magnificent. Huge and beautiful, in its own way.

I stood in front of the door. I pushed it open. There were a few people standing around. Guards, of course. It was a small room. Well, small for the size of the building. It was the size of a Center lobby, which it was. It was done up to look just like one. But on one side, a Center counter stood, and on the other a Mart counter stood. It wasn't what I really expected, but it was better than walking into a dungeon, like I somewhat expected.

Locus Lane stood up from the far corner, where the average lobby was set up, with tacky sofas and a television. He was grinning. "Cynthia Everheart!" _What is he doing here?! _I thought. "Surprised, huh?" He chuckled.

I put on a smile. "Locus Lane." I decided to address him by his full name, it was more fitting then just Locus.

"To answer your unspoken question, I'm here to interview you before the challenge. I interviewed Lea, too. That's when they anointed me the Before Champion Challenge Interviewer." He flashed another smile.

"Alright. Let's do it." A camera crew stood a few feet away.

Someone handed him a microphone. Another person took my bag away, pulled my hair from a bun so it hung down, and quickly put powder on my forehead. All before I could react. Professionals, what are you going to do. Locus put his arm around my shoulder and whispered "Smile." I smiled just as the red camera light came on.

"Hello Sinnoh, Locus Lane here with the beautiful Cynthia Everheart. We are here at the League, before the battle we've _all_ been waiting for begins." He looked at me. "Cynthia, darling, do tell, what are you feeling right now?"

"Anticipation, excitement, some nervousness. But I'm prepared and ready." I said, my voice clear and steady.

"Just as I suspected. Lea is probably feeling the same way. So are the Elites, but secretly, I feel like you won't have a problem going through them." He shook his head. In the back of my mind I wondered why he talked like the Elites were nothing. "Cynthia, sweetheart, what is the first thing you'll do if you accept the Championship?"

"That's a hard question." I thought for a moment. "Probably celebrate with my friends and family."

"I'm glad to hear that, because we in Hearthrome are going to throw you a grand dinner and dance, and since we're your friends, you won't mind one bit, will you?" _That's what you think._

"No, not at all." I grinned.

"Great, then I'll save you a dance, dearest." He looked at the camera. "I know we all want to watch these battles, but they've been requested as private. Sorry, everyone. That's _just_ how it has to be. Until next time, wish this lovely lady the best of luck." He smiled, and the camera clicked off. He squeezed my shoulders. "Ready?"

I nodded. "As I'll ever be." He lead me to a door between the two counters. The lady behind the Mart counter came to me, a few things in hand.

She smiled and handed them to me. "Lea requested you have this." They looked like different kinds of potions. They were expensive. "Six Super Potions, six Full Heals, six Revives and this note." I quickly read the looping handwriting. _Cynthia, I hope you find these items very useful. They're from me as my _personal _present. I wish you luck. I am most excited for the day we meet. My Luck, Lea S. Saydan. _'The day we meet.' Something about that sounded off. I looked at my presents.

"Well that's…Nice." I was shocked. I took the items. Potions were _very _expensive. Not to mention Revives. And there were six of them. Someone gave me my bag back, and I put the items in it.

"Go right through this door, down the hallway, to the first Elite. The door will lock behind you. No turning back." Locus Lane reminded.

"Okay. I'm going." I took a deep breath, and went through the door, down the hall, through an electric sliding door, and into the first arena. The field was granite, with pink and yellow marking lines. The walls were splashes of bright colors, and in the two back corners there were pink statues with some Pokémon and a heart. I knew I had just walked into hell. Or worse, pink hell.

Standing in the middle of the field was a girl, shipped straight from a Golden City factory it looked like. Long, pink hair, a five-inches-too-short yellow and pink dress, and tall white heels. Her unnaturally pink lips curled into a grin, and her way too perfect blue eyes looked way too incredibly happy. Right, how could I forget about this Elite? Daisy, the Contest Champion.

She skipped over to me. "I'm Daisy, the first Elite!" Her accent flicked in and out. She stuck out her hand, her nails stood an inch away from her fingers.

"Hello, I'm Cynthia." I shook her hand. It burned.

"I know who you are, silly! Let's not waste any time, let's play." She walked over to her side. And I knew it was her side, because there was a pink throne she placed herself on. "I hate to stand and battle." Of course she did.

I took my place and prepped myself. I took a deep breath. She picked up a Pokéball and held it up. "Beautifly, go!" I rolled my eyes. This would be easy.

"Togekiss, take her down!" I had to admit, the Beautifly was the biggest Beautifly I had ever seen. I still knew I could take her.

"Mega Drain!" Daisy yelled. The rival batted her huge, bug eyes, and Thumper was on the floor in pain. Only for a second, but it was enough to get a glimpse at how powerful she was.

"Air Slash!" Togekiss flew like a jet over to the foe, and slashed his wing through the air. You could see the air ripple right before it blew Beautifly across the field. It was super effective.

"Bug Buzz, now!" The opponent closed her eyes. I couldn't hear anything, but Thumper moved his wings so his ears were covered. Otherwise, he didn't do anything. Daisy seemed disappointed. She frowned and uncrossed her legs on the throne. She leaned forward. "Do it better!" She snapped.

"Fly." I commanded. Togekiss swooped into the air, up to the ceiling. Beautifly flew up with him. Thumper used his body and pushed the foe all the way to the ground, where she crashed and was almost smashed into a million bug pieces.

"Silver Wind." Daisy yelled. Beautifly flapped her wings and Togekiss was pushed slightly backwards by the silvery air, but he lunged forward and broke the blow.

"Quick Attack." Thumper jumped up and landed on the rival. They both smashed on the floor, but Togekiss was the only one who got up.

I could see Daisy's jaw clench. She pursed her lips. "Beautifly, return. Cherrim, go!" A small, red Pokémon came out. She was definitely a Grass Type, she was basically a flower. I kept out Togekiss.

"Air Slash, now!" Thumper flew a few feet high, and then pushed his big wings toward the opponent. A gust of air pushed the Pokémon backwards, weakening it.

"Solar Beam." Daisy shouted, a new sense of optimism filling her tone. A blast of light shot out of Cherrim, and Thumper was brought back to the ground. He composed himself quickly.

"Fly." Togekiss was back to the ceiling in seconds, and was on top the foe just as quick. The small Grass Type squirmed underneath his weight.

"Take Down." Cherrim used everything inside her to reverse the situation. She pushed Thumper to his back, making him slam his head against the hard ground. He groaned, and his eyed rolled back in his head.

I returned Thumper. I grabbed my next Pokémon, and took a deep breath. Spiritomb was the way I was going. I knew she was a contest champion, so I knew she was going to throw a Normal Type in sometime. "Spiritomb, let's finish her!" She came out of the ball with a wicked laugh. Her face was upside down. Daisy gasped and covered her face. My Pokémon chuckled and swirled her face, and ghostly body, around.

"Cherrim, use Solar Beam!" Light sprang from inside the Pokémon, Spiritomb absorbed the light and grunted. Not a hard hit taken.

"Ominous Wind." I commanded. Purple and black oozed from my Pokémon and wrapped around Cherrim like two snakes. The grip tightened and Cherrim squirmed. It got tighter, and she yelped. Spiritomb closed her eyes, which were still going in circles around her body, and Cherrim screamed. Ominous Wind still had her in a bind, but not her eyes were black shadow. Spiritomb used Dark Pulse.

"Magical Leaf." Daisy called. The bind shattered, and the shadows left her eyes all at once. Leaves swirled around her body, ridding all the bad things, and then shot towards Spiritomb. They went through her body, but she screeched. And then I had to duck when the leaves shot over my head. "Solar Beam!" Spiritomb absorbed the light and cried out.

"Sucker Punch, now!" My Pokémon, with light filled in her body, materialized in front of Cherrim in the blink of an eye. A black fist appeared, and wailed on the small Pokémon. She was thrown across the room and landed with a thud. She jumped up and readied herself.

"Petal Dance." Tons of leaves appeared this time, and they moved around her like a large wave. Then, they zoomed over to Spiritomb and circled around her. The wall of leaves and petals was so thick, you couldn't see my Pokémon, only hear her screams. _Let's get her out of there._

"Faint Attack." I shouted. The black shadow crawled from under the wall of dancing petals, and over to the foe, where she bounced up and slammed into Cherrim, sending her to the ground once again.

"Magical Leaf." The rival sent leaves to Spiritomb again, and she groaned and turned into a puddle, dodging the attack altogether.

"Sucker Punch." I commanded quickly. My Pokémon formed into herself again, and punched Cherrim nice and hard. She fell to the ground and wilted, like the helpless flower she truly was.

Daisy frowned. Then returned her Pokémon silently. "Ambipom, let's go!"

I rolled my eyes. There's the Normal Type. Ambipom looked like a large purple monkey, with two thin tails with extra hands on the tips of them. _Contest people. _"Sucker Punch." Spiritomb grinned and threw another punch. The monkey fell to the ground, but sprang back up instantly.

"Swift!" Daisy smiled and crossed her legs. She leaned back in her chair, like she had just got the game turned back in her favor. Large stars swirled around her Pokémon, and then they smashed through Spiritomb, and disappeared right before smashing into me. But, Spiritomb laughed, and I smiled, because Normal moves don't affect her. Daisy frowned.

My Pokémon wailed another punch, probably because she enjoyed it too much, and the monkey hit the ground again. "Dark Pulse!" I commanded. Ambipoms eyes coated over with shadows, and she screamed out. No doubt Spiritomb was messing with her head, filling it with fears and horrible scenes.

"Snap out of it!" Daisy sounded desperate. "Sand-Attack, Ambipom!" Ambipom fought back, and broke the pulse. She opened her mouth, and gobs of sand hit, or should I say, went through, Spiritomb. She made a negative noise, but I wasn't too worried. I still didn't want her to faint. _Need to step up and end this. _I thought.

"Faint Attack." My Pokémon preformed the move perfectly. "Dark Pulse." Ambipom fell over this time, and cried out in pain. Spiritomb chuckled, and Ambipom fainted.

Daisy made a sound of defeat as she returned her Pokémon. She grabbed another ball. "Last one." She told me. "Lopunny, defeat her!" The large bipedal rabbit came out. She was brown and cream colored, with ears that hung to her knees. She stood as tall as me, and had large, animalistic eyes.

"Sucker Punch." I yelled. Spiritomb punched Lopunny, and not much happened.

"Bounce." Daisy commanded. Lopunny jumped into the air, and landed hard on Spiritomb. She screamed and took a good hit. I knew she was close to fainting.

"Faint Attack." Spiritomb quickly used the move, and Lopunny fell to the ground.

Daisy sat forwards and uncrossed her legs again. She jumped off her seat and stepped up to the line. "Bounce again!" She must not have had any other effective move. The foe jumped up and landed on Spiritomb. She cried out.

"Dark Pulse." Lopunny's eyes over coated, and she was on the floor, weeping and screeching. Energy draining from her. What could she be seeing? Do Pokémon have fears? Bad dreams? Bad memories? Or, is she just feeling those things, and seeing nothing but darkness? Endless darkness.

"Bounce!" Daisy shrieked, knowing it was close to the end for her. But the Pokémon was still inside of her darkness.

"Sucker Punch." I yelled. Spiritomb wailed one last punch, and that was the end of it.

Daisy and I returned out Pokémon. I walked over to her, my arm extended. She shook my hand and quickly pulled it away. "Good game." I said, the awkwardness closing in on us.

She frowned and sighed. "Yes, I suppose." She bit her lip. She handed me some money. "Your earnings." I took it and stuffed it with the rest of my money in my bag.

"Thank you. Is there anything you could tell me about Lea? Or the other Elites?"

"I can tell you that they're not as easy as I am." She crossed her arms over her chest, and I definitely believed that. "That's all I'm going to say. You win. You get to continue." A door behind her throne opened, and I started to it.

My first Elite was over with. Relief felt great. But three more…And then I would be staring right into snake eyes, which may or may not turn red.

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Note: Hey, not a clichéd ending! ...Wait...<strong>

**I would just like to say, I love the blue line thingies that Fanfiction uses as spacers. They make me smile. So! My excuse for why this took so long to upload(And why I broke my own rule, again, by not completing the next chapter): I became a writing fool...For another Fanfiction. Static, to be exact. I perfected the prologue. My only issues with it is I feel like a prologue needs to set the tone for the rest of the story, and this tone is not what the rest of the story will be...Yet, I'm in love with the prologue. Advice? **

**WE. ARE. GETTING. SO. CLOSE. I mean, I feel like I can share personal things with you now! Just kidding, that's not what I meant. The ending is coming! It's coming! It's coming! Hurrah! So, let's get this Fanfiction to 200 reviews! Oh my word, I would feel very gracious getting up to 200, just saying. Work your magic, awesome readers! A lot of you haven't reviewed in quite a while. Cough. Flubby48. PheonixLyric. Espionage Espeon. Cough. BUT, I'm not one to pry or beg, so do as you please. **

**DeathGoblin: Your view of battles is spectacular. Unfortunately, it's too late for Cynthia to train that way, but I will use that way of training for another powerful trainer...Who's coming up soon...Picking up what I'm putting down? Heh...I'm deceitful. Anyway, thanks for that! It gave me inspiration. Very powerful. **

**This lengthy A/N is over, and I seriously don't know how I write so much. I just sit down, think of one thing to say, and then this comes out. And I don't even know where my "sarcasticness" comes from. It just appears when I write author notes. Crap, I'm doing it again. Next chapter, no authors note, I promise! **

**Thanks for reading! **


	43. Focused

_Chapter Forty-two: Focused_

_The Next Step_

It was very warm in the small room between the fields. The door that leads to Daisy was closed, and the door that leads to the next Elite was right in front of me. I used a potion on Spiritomb. She was handy, and I needed her fight-ready. I was leaving Thumper fainted, saving my Revives for later.

I took a deep breath and walked through the door. This field was brown, and the floor was dirt. In one corner there was a murky pool, and in another there was a tree. The walls were covered in vines and mud splatters. Grass grew out of the ceiling. That was odd, but a neat touch. On the other side of the field, a lady stood. She walked over to me. She was gently smiling. Not the warm, gentle smile like Grandmothers, but a nice smile. She had grey hair, yet only a few wrinkles, and she wore a lab coat with what looked like hiking ware. "I am Bertha. Your next opponent. I may seem like an old lady, but I'm Pastoria born and raised, straight from the muck. With roots like that, you can fend for yourself. I've been training Ground Types since before you were even thought about, and I know how to use my team." She spoke with careful clarity, and not any fancy accents. I knew I would like her.

"Alright then, let's get started." I said. No need to introduce myself. We went to our sides of the field, and Bertha released her first weapon.

"Gastrodon, fight!" A large, pink and brown slug came out. It had three eyes, two in the regular place and one on its forehead, and had six slug legs that stuck out of its body. It looked tired and weak. But you never judge a book by its cover.

Ground and Water Type, I had the best Pokémon for that. "Roserade, let's go!" My Grass Type came out, and posed elegantly. She turned her head and looked at me. I nodded to her.

"Hidden Power!" Bertha commanded, her voice shaking a bit. Much like Grandmothers did when she raised her voice. The opponent breathed in deep, you could hear it snort from across the field, and it lit up. When it breathed out, a huge ball of light shot to Roserade. It was so fast; if you blinked you would have missed it. Roserade crashed to the floor. The first of many falls, I presumed.

"Magical Leaf." I shouted. She jumped up, and as quickly as she jumped up, leaves swirled around her, then were gashing Gastrodon.

"Muddy Water!" The foe shook off the leaves, and they disappeared as they floated to the ground. The slug opened his mouth, and you could see goop form in it.

"Mega Drain." Roserade focused, and the goop in Gastrodon's mouth overflowed and spilled at its…Feet things. Then it fell on its side; cringing with pain. Roserade was pleased with herself.

"Recover!" Gastrodon immediately got back up, and light surrounded it. You could see that it was replenishing its health.

"Break its concentration!" I yelled. Roserade quickly went into action, meeting the Pokémon and readying herself to slam into it. But the rival created a huge bubble around him, and Roserade ran into the bubble and was pushed backwards a few feet. Then reality hit me in the face, I was in a very _serious_ battle. I had to step way up.

"Toxic." I commanded. The bubble broke, and the foe came back to the game. Roserade lunged forward and touched Gastrodon with two purple arms. It gaged and looked like it would vomit. It was poisoned. Then, Roserade swirled her arms, and lots of leaves, flowers, petals and thorns spun around the two of them. She was using Petal Dance. I had almost forgotten she even knew that move, I was very happy she decided to step way up too. The petals and leaves and smashed into Gastrodon. It fell to the ground, and Roserade ran back to me.

"Body Slam." Bertha yelled. Gastrodon didn't wait a second, it jumped up and dashed over to Roserade. Without stopping, it slammed into Roserade. The opponent was so fast, Roserade didn't even try to dodge. They both fell to the ground.

"Mega Drain." While lying there, Roserade sucked the last bit of energy right out of the foe. Gastrodon cried out, threw up purple poison, and then fainted.

Bertha simply nodded. She returned her Pokémon and grabbed another ball. I kept Roserade out, she was vital for this battle. She looked in pretty good shape, not close to fainting. "Golem, let's fight well." The huge rock came out. It was the final evolution of Geodude, and you could tell.

"Magical Leaf." I commanded. Roserade shot the large group of leaves over to the foe, Golem roared when the sharp ends left slashes in his rock body. He lifted up his hands to show his inches-long claws.

"Stone Edge." Bertha looked like she was deep in thought. I wondered what I looked like. Probably surprised and confused. Golem sprinted to Roserade and leapt upward, he held his right arm up as he jumped, and it transformed into a huge rock. He brought it down hard on Roserade, she fell to the ground.

"Mega Drain." She needed that extra bit of life. She quickly had Golem on the ground, roaring and wincing. Her face was sagging somewhat, but it morphed into its usual form. She gained energy from the foe.

"Earthquake." Bertha called. _Uh oh. That won't go over well with Roserade, Mega Drain or not. _I thought. Golem focused, an earthquake erupted under Roserade's feet. She flopped around, crying the whole time. I worried.

"Roserade, we have to step up." I had no other way to communicate, I had to say it. Roserade nodded, and hope flickered inside of me. "Petal Dance." She swung her arms, seeming worried herself, and shot them all and Golem fell to the ground with a roar. It was super effective. Then her arms turned purple, and she hit Golem. That didn't do anything but make him vomit poison. At least that was something.

"Rock Blast." The rival jumped up, held his hand up, and rocked formed and shot to Roserade. She jumped out of the way for three blasts, but the last one hit her hard.

"Magical Leaf." I was panicked. I couldn't afford to have another Pokémon faint. Roserade started to use Petal Dance, instead of Magical Leaf. That was a smart move. She hit Golem, and he fell to the ground hard and hid eyes rolled back in his rock head.

Bertha didn't respond. She grabbed another ball. I returned Roserade, knowing she was close to fainting. _Very_ close. I chose my next Pokémon, the obvious choice, Milotic.

"Rhyperior, let's win." The huge, bipedal rhino came out. He roared, and he made me shiver. This may not go very smoothly.

"Milotic, take them down!" She came out of the ball, looking as huge and magnificent as ever.

"Take Down." Bertha shouted. The huge opponent slammed into Milotic, both of them hitting the ground, and both of them taking damage.

"Aqua Ring." Milotic surrounded herself with three rings of water, it would replenish her health after every hit. The water disappeared. "Aqua Tail." Her tail became translucent water, and she slammed it on the foe. He fell over and quickly got up.

"Earthquake." Rhyperior started an earthquake under Milotic, and she cried out in pain. "Horn Attack." He stopped the earthquake, and ran like a bull with his horn pointed at my Pokémon. He collided with her, and she screamed out. Then, the water ring appeared, and you could tell her health had been replenished.

"Hydro Pump." I commanded. The foe had fallen on top of her, but when she used Hydro Pump, she blew him off and across the field.

"Take Down." He jumped up, he was so mad there was steam coming out of his mouth. He took off across the field and hit Milotic, they crashed to the ground again.

"Aqua Tail." Milotic lifted her watery tail and slammed it back down, but Rhyperior swiftly dodged the attack.

"Earthquake." He used the move perfectly. My Pokémon was flopping around like the fish she really was. She screeched; I knew she was taking a rough hit. And there was nothing I could do. I looked at Bertha, I couldn't read her face. She was still in thought. I tried to mimic that look. Aqua Ring activated; Milotic sighed with relief.

"Twister." I called. Milotic slithered in the air and other to the rival, where she slithered around him quickly. Then, a tornado started, and Rhyperior was lifted into the air. He squirmed and yelled. "Hydro Pump." Milotic used Hydro Pump while he was in the tornado, and knocked him out of it just as the twister dispersed.

"Stone Edge." The foe was blistering mad. He shot up and over to my Pokémon. He used the move like a charm, and she crashed to the floor. It took her everything to get back up. Aqua Ring restored some energy, and I knew she could fight on.

"Aqua Tail." Milotic smashed her tail, and gallons of water, on Rhyperior. He fell to the ground with a bang, and he stood up slowly. It was only a matter of time until he fell.

"Horn Attack." The opponent knocked Milotic to my feet, and then he tackled her, using Take Down. Milotic cried out, and he big eyes locked with mine. A large tornado formed, and Rhyperior was flung off of her, and he fell to the ground. He was down for the count. Aqua Ring appeared, and it replenished her energy, but that was the last of the water.

Bertha sighed as she returned her Pokémon. "You're doing well, child. You have toughness as your ally, but not strategy. Yet, you're still prevailing!" She shook her head. She pulled another Pokémon. "Hippowdon, go!" A huge hippo Pokémon came out. He was brown and tan, with holes covering his body and sand spilling out of them.

"Milotic, use Aqua Ring." She created the water rings around her. "Water Pulse." Water appeared in thin air and smacked the foe across the face.

"Crunch!" The rival leapt up and over to my Pokémon, he opened his huge mouth and bit down on Milotic's snake body. She squirmed in his mouth. "Earthquake." Bertha called. Hippowdon let Milotic go, and she fell flat on the ground, rumbling around.

"Aqua Tail!" Once the quake stopped, Milotic slammed her tail against the foe.

"Stone Edge." Hippowdon's eyes narrowed, and then rocks plummeted down on top of my Pokémon. A saw Aqua Ring take effect.

"Twister." Milotic spun up a tornado that stopped the rocks, and she pushed it to the opponent. The huge Hippowdon was lift into the air, caught in the wind. Then, she used Hydro Pump, making it a critical hit on top of that.

"Crunch." Bertha commanded; she wasn't very happy…Well, at least that's what I thought. The rival jumped up, but my Pokémon quickly avoided the move, and water slapped the foe to the ground.

"Aqua Tail!" Milotic's scales turned to water, and she used the move once again. She pushed Hippowdon across the field. He stood up slowly. I knew he was about to end.

"Earthquake!" Bertha yelled. Milotic started to flop, but the quake didn't last long, and Aqua Ring replenished some of her health.

"Water Pulse!" I shouted. Milotic slapped Hippowdon across the face with water, and he was down for the count.

Bertha returned her last Pokémon. She had an emotionless expression, either that or I couldn't read her expression. I returned Milotic and met Bertha on the other side. "Your strength is impressive. How can you rely on strength only?" She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. Your next opponent relies only on strength, as well. You'll need strategy to outwit him. He's egotistic, though. But I'm sure you'll prevail." She smiled.

"Thank you." I matched her smile. "Is there anything you could tell me about the other Elite? Or Lea?"

She thought. "Draken, the last one, is the newest to join us. Ellory just got the boot, and was replaced with Draken the other day. Lea's kept him away from us. No one knows anything about him. As for the Champion…He's a Dark Type trainer, with a few others up his sleeve. But he takes battling very seriously, especially this battle. His strategies change. I'm sorry, but that's all I know." Bertha shrugged. "Lea keeps away from us. He doesn't think of us as well as Annie did."

"Thanks." I walked into the in-between room. I took a deep breath. _Strategy. That's going to be a challenge. _I thought. I thought about my Pokémon, I was purposely not doing anything with Roserade and Milotic. They weren't fainted, but they were too close to fight with. But I was taking my chances by betting that there would be a different Type trainer behind that door. I walked up to it; it slid up into the ceiling.

I stepped in. The room was captivating. The walls were painted a bright yellow, and the ground was painted in black lines. There was a chandelier hanging in the middle, and electricity bounced around the pipes and coils that constructed the light. The floor was metal, and I noticed that the walls were also metal; just painted. Electricity buzzed up and down and all around the walls. They were quick flashes in some places, and continuous patterns in other. On one of the walls, the electricity spelled the word "Victory." It was very neat. The door across the room opened, and a man strolled in. He wore a yellow and black costume of sorts. The pants flared out in some places, and so did the coordinating jacket. His hair was black with yellow streaks, and spiked completely up. He wore dark shaded glasses and a huge grin.

"Greetings, Cynthia! Electro is my name, and Electric Types is my game!" He chuckled. "I have to be honest, I didn't think you'd beat Old Lady. Surprise, surprise, huh?" He chuckled again. "Yeah. Let's battle it up." We took our sides. I readied my Pokéball, and he readied his. "Luxray, let's go!" The large cat came out and growled. He opened his mouth, revealing large dagger-like teeth. This Luxray was muscly; you could _see_ the strength it held.

"Put up a good fight, Lucario!" Lucario came out and put her paws out in front of her. She looked as nervous as I felt. I wish I could tell her it would be okay, but I had a hunch Electro couldn't tell we were nervous anyway. I had gathered enough to know Electro wasn't the observant type.

"Thunder." Luxray looked up at the ceiling, and then electricity exploded from his body. The electricity traveled—so quickly—over to my Pokémon, and collided with her. She was hit in the stomach, and was pushed to the ground. She yelped, and then got up.

"Bone Rush!" I commanded. Lucario held up her right paw and sprinted towards the opponent. The blue bone appeared, and she whipped it around and released it. It flew and knocked Luxray in the head, making him stumbled forward, then the 'bone' came back to Lucario's paw, and she slammed it into the foes body again. Making him fall to the floor.

Luxray growled and pounced at Lucario. They fell to the floor, and my Pokémon kicked the Electric Type off. "Crunch." Luxray pounced again and sunk his teeth into Lucario's arm. She winced and punched the rival in the face. He let go and hissed.

"Close Combat." Lucario tackled Luxray, and they rolled around the floor hissing and growling; punching and kicking. Soon, Luxray pushed my Pokémon across the field.

"Hyper Beam." Electro shouted. Luxray focused, and then a beam of light poured out of him. The light engrossed Lucario; she squirmed and fell to the ground.

"Bone Rush." I needed to get her back up. Lucario called the ghostly bone, and held it against the light. The light was deflected, and Luxray stopped. My Pokémon jumped up and ran to the foe, she slammed the bone against Luxray and sent her a few feet away.

"Crunch." Electro yelled. Luxray got up and pounced, he bit Lucario on the leg and pulled it out from under her, making Lucario fall on her back. "Thunder." Luxray let go, then lightning bolts zapped Lucario. She screamed and flopped around on the floor.

"Aura Sphere." The lightning stopped, and Lucario leapt up instantly. She went down on one knee, put her palms together, and the light formed in her hands. It shot out and collided with Luxray, pushing him to the other wall and making him slam against it.

"Thunderfang." Luxray wasn't happy when he got up. He sprinted over to my Pokémon and sunk his teeth in her once again. This time, Lucario slammed to the ground, and there was a black mark on her arm.

"Close Combat." I commanded. Lucario tackled the rival, and they started knowing at each other and scratching and punching each other. "Bone Rush." Lucario got up, pulling Luxray up with one paw, and threw him across the field. With her extended arm she called the bone, and she threw it while running. It knocked Luxray, then found its way back to Lucario's paw. She whaled it on the foe, and he was down for the count.

Electro bit his lip and returned his fainted Pokémon. He grabbed his next Pokémon. "Raichu, show her that Electric Type's overrule!" The evolved form of Pikachu came out. This one was bigger and taller than Volkner's, which made me worry slightly.

"Bone Rush!" I called. Lucario repeated the last move. She threw the bone, it knocked Raichu over, it came back to her just in time for her to whip it around and knock the Pokémon across the field.

"Hyper Beam." Electro called. Raichu's eyes glossed over, and light shot out of him. I put my arm over my eyes. Thunderbolt!" I moved my arm just as the light dispersed. Raichu scrunched up and roared, and a large bolt hit Lucario and sent her into the air, and smashing into the ground. Raichu slumped to his side and was taking raspy breaths. Double hits made him tired.

"Aura Sphere!" Lucario jumped up and the ball of light shot to the opponent. Raichu was knocked the floor. Electro yelled something just as I did. "Close Combat." My Pokémon found the fallen Raichu and attack him. Raichu hardly fought back.

"Thunder!" Electro commanded. Electricity shot out of the Pokémon and Lucario was pushed away from him. She stood up slowly and shook her body.

"Bone Rush." I yelled. She snapped back and slammed the bone into the foe. Raichu fell to his owners' feet. Electro looked at him and made a growling sound.

"Quick Attack." He screamed at his Pokémon. Raichu stumbled up and sprinted to Lucario. If you blinked, you would have missed it. He tackled my Pokémon, both of them falling to the floor. "Hyper Beam!" Raichu, still on the ground, used the move. The light covered Lucario. I couldn't see anything of her. The light stopped rather quickly, and Raichu looked close to fainting. He gasped for breath.

"Metal Claw, quickly!"

"Raichu, Thunder!" Electro tried to counter the move, but Raichu was too weak. Lucario sliced a nail down the rival's stomach, and Raichu's eyes rolled back in his head. Electro growled and returned his Pokémon.

"Magnezone, let's show her who's victorious!" Electro released another one. This one was a huge robot of sorts. It had three eyes, one large one of its main body part, and two other on its other parts to its sides. If you looked at him the right way, it looked like a robotic head and two arms coming out of the sides. It had big magnets as hands. This would be somewhat of a challenge.

I took a deep breath and returned Lucario. She was too close to fainting. I couldn't afford to have her faint. I grabbed my other Pokémon who would be any help. "Garchomp, I choose you." My Pokémon came out. Her Dragon eyes cut to me, then to the opponent. I didn't know what she was thinking, but I knew we could take him.

"Discharge!" Electro's voice was loud and confident. It intimidated me, to be honest. I wasn't that confident. _What am I feeling? _That wall inside me that was hiding my feelings was up and strong, and I wasn't going to take it down now. Electricity exploded from the foe. It covered Garchomp, and she stood tall; unaffected completely. Electro swore, and then grunted. I smirked.

"Dig." I commanded. Now I was the confident one. Garchomp jumped up, and then slammed into the ground, going right through the metal like it was water. In the back of my mind I wondered how much money it took for those holes to be repaired. But I shrugged it off. Garchomp came up right under the rival, and hit him hard. He almost hit the ground, but started hovering again. Garchomp growled and her claw started to glow. She smacked the robot and knocked it to the ground. Then she burrowed back into her hole and popped out on the other side, looking pleased with herself.

"Hyper Beam!" Electro roared. A large beam of light shot to Garchomp. She roared and tried to fight back, but ended up falling on her haunches.

"Crunch!" She jumped up and the beam went away, and she lunged forward and glided to the opponent. She bit the side of his head, denting the metal robot.

"Flash Cannon." A flash of light sent Garchomp to the other side of the field, flying past me, and slamming into the wall. That wasn't good. She got up and roared angrily. "Hyper Beam!" My Pokémon made another hole in the metal right as the beam shot through the air. And then, she popped out and grabbed Magnezone and pushed him to the floor. Denting more of his metal and stopping the move.

"Hyper Beam!" Electro was getting irritated. The foe used the move again, this time not giving Garchomp enough time to escape. She fought hard, using all of her defenses.

"Dragon Rush!" I shouted. A purple glow covered my Pokémon, and she pushed through the light until she reached the rival. She tackled him and pushed him to the ground.

"Flash Cannon."

"Dodge with Dig!" I yelled, but I assumed I was too late. Garchomp shot down into one of her holes, breaking more of the metal, and dodged the attack just in time. She popped up under Magnezone, and he crashed to the floor, letting out a robotic noise as he left the battle.

Electro's fist balled at his sides. He returned his Pokémon, then he looked more comfortable when he pulled out his last Pokéball. He smiled. "Electivire, show her who's boss!" This Pokémon stood taller than I, maybe two more heads taller, and matched Electro. He had yellow and black stripes and fur that stuck out from his body. It grinned, just like Electro, and lifted his head proudly. Garchomp roared. I'm glad she had something to say.

"Dig, Garchomp." My Pokémon obeyed and borrowed through a hole. She made a new one behind the foe and tackled him from behind. They both fell to the floor, and then they both jumped back to their feet.

"Hyper Beam!" The light pushed Garchomp across the field, and I covered my eyes. When I moved my hand, the move ended.

"Dragon Claw." I commanded. Garchomp rushed over the rival and sliced her large claw down his arm, leaving a blood line. "Dragon Rush." Then, the purple that engrossed her claw moved and covered her whole body, and she pushed Electivire across the field towards me. He stood up and roared.

"Fire Punch!" He sprinted to Garchomp, large fist ablaze, and whaled on her. She took a hard hit. She roared and crashed to the floor. She stood up slowly, and I knew she couldn't have much left. "Hyper Beam!"

"Dig!" Garchomp avoided the attack and popped into a hole. Electivire realized what was going on and panicked. He started sprinting away, and Garchomp jumped through the floor and tackled him. He fell to the ground with a large thud.

"Hyper Beam!" Electro yelled.

"Dodge!" But I was too late. Garchomp was thrown to the floor, and stood up weakly. Her muscles shaking. She roared then hissed, then stood strong. "Bring it on" was what she was saying.

"Fire Punch." Electro shouted before I had enough time to think. The foe punched Garchomp, and she slid a few feet back.

"Dig!" My Pokémon dived into a nearby hole and popped out another right next to the opponent. She crashed into Electivire, and they both were knocked out.

Victory was sweet. It was sweeter when Electro kicked the metal floor, and then winced because it hurt. We returned our Pokémon and I approached the Elite. I held out my hand. "Good battle, you're a worthy opponent."

He smirked and shook my hand. "So are you. But you've got more to worry about."

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Note: Just a quick note: There's a poll on my profile to pick your favorite OC of this story...The reason why, is because once I'm done with this story, I am going to make you all wait for Static (The prequel, if you don't know), so I'm going to write a short story just for fun and so you guys have something of mine to read for the short time I'll be writing Static, and not posting it. Keep that in-mind as you vote. Who do you want to see a short story of? Possibly a backstory? <strong>

**Thanks for reading! (By the way, EspEEEonage Espeon, I do owe you an apology! I'm very sorry for misspelling your penname. Thank you for the review!) **


	44. Draken

_Chapter Forty-three: Draken_

_The Next Step_

The electric door slid closed behind me. My breath escaped through the lungs and I had to force it back into my mouth. I was nervous about Draken. And then, the worst part, Lea. I brought out all my Pokémon. I used a Revive and Potion on Garchomp, a Full Heal on Milotic, Roserade and Lucario. That left Spiritomb, who was fully healed, and Thumper, who I was leaving fainted. I was ready. I returned my Pokémon and stepped up to the next door; not wasting any time. It slid open and I walked in.

This field was purple, blue and black. Darker tones. There was nothing very special about the room, it didn't give any hints about what Type Draken had. Or, it meant he had a mixture of Types. That made me even more nervous. At one side of the field, a platform came up from underneath the battlefield. A man was standing there. He had darker skin and brown hair neatly combed back. He wore a black and purple suit, and stood tall and confident. "Hello there, Cynthia." His voice was deep and smooth, a lot like Brush's.

"Hello, Draken." I tried to match his confidence.

"I've been preparing for this battle for a few days now, and I am quite excited. Your journey has been something, hasn't it? I've watched and heard much about you. Yet you know nothing about me. Just a précis about myself…I was born and raised in Eterna, but then became quite obsessed with Dragon Types…When I came of age, I started traveling and pursuing my interest, and then Lea approached me with this very tempting offer." _Dragon Type's. Of course. Of any Type, that would be my weakest one. _My stomach flipped. I wouldn't be seeing Lea today. "So here I am. A trainer, much like yourself, and a Dragon Enthusiast. I'm very exciting to see our Dragons battle, so, are you ready?"

_No. _"Of course." I fake smiled. I waited to see what Pokémon he was bringing out.

"Kingdra, battle with me." _Water and Dragon Type, I can handle that. _A large seahorse came out of the ball. He hovered in the air, looking elegant and intimidating.

I got Roserade's Pokéball out and released her. "Roserade, let's go." She came out and spun around on her toes.

"Bubblebeam twist." Draken commanded. _Bubblebeam twist? _Kingdra blew a string of bubbles, all plummeting toward my Pokémon, then spun in a circle, creating a rough tornado that crashed down the field, picking up bubbles on its way, and then picking up Roserade. The tornado subsided and Roserade fell to the floor.

_I need to be creative like that. _I thought. "Petal Dance then Mega Drain." Roserade got up and whipped flower petals and leaves around. She pushed her arms out, and the wave of leaves shot across and hit Kingdro. Then, Roserade started to focus.

"Hydro plus." _Fantastic._ Kingdra spat lots of water at Roserade, ruining her concentration and knocking her to the ground. Then, more water rushed over her, making her screech loudly.

"Magical Leaf and Petal Dance." Roserade combined the two, making more ammunition. She shot them to the foe, and Kingdra was knocked to the ground.

Draken cocked his head to the side, like my grandfather did while studying something. "Twister." _What? No twist, plus, anything? _Kingdra used the move, and no other, but it still hit hard.

"Petal Dance." I shouted. My Pokémon got up and summoned her Grass Type things. She started sending it to the opponent.

"Deflect it, Kingdra." Kingdra made another twister, and it gobbled up all of the leaves before it reached him. Then the twister, and the debris within it, hit Roserade, and she met the floor again.

Roserade jumped back up and locked eyes with me. We needed to get our act together; and quick. "Mega Drain." Roserade focused, and Kingdra fell to the floor wincing and whining. "Petal Dance." Then, she sent out all the hundreds of petals, and they swirled around the rival, making a wall you couldn't see through. But you could hear the screeches of Kingdra behind it.

"Brine twist." Draken called.

"Dodge it, Roserade, twist means Twister!" I tried to warn her, but when the water poured out of Kingdra's mouth and knocked her to the ground, and then bubbles followed it, I knew two things: I was too late and 'twist' doesn't always mean Twister. I smacked my forehead. "Use Mega Drain!" Kingdra winced and fell to the floor. He screeched. "Toxic." Roserade ran to the rival and hit him on the face. His face turned purple for a quick second, and when Mega Drain was over, he was still wincing on the floor. A second later he threw up poison and vomit. He lifted his head, then it smacked back to the ground. He wasn't getting back down. Draken returned him. Relief filled me. Roserade doubled-over and took in hasty breaths. Draken got another Pokéball out, and I panicked. _Do I stick with Roserade? Get another? What? _But it was too late, he let out his next Pokémon.

"Lucario, take out the opponent." A Lucario came out. This one looked…Older than mine. That could mean it was higher in levels, and that made me even more nervous.

"Do exactly what we just did." I tried to battle like my opponent. Lucario strained under Roserade's invisible grasp, but when Roserade used Toxic, nothing happened.

"Did it escape you, fellow Lucario trainer, that this magnificent Pokémon is immune to Poison Type attacks?" Yes. "Dragon mix." He yelled.

Lucario snapped back to normal and started to glow the Dragon purple. Light and Dragon electricity shot out of him and pushed Roserade across the field and tossed harshly to the ground. She was instantly KO'd, and I didn't even learn what the 'mix' was.

I returned my Pokémon and brought out my next. "Milotic, let's step up!" She made a positive noise, and hope flickered inside of me.

"Dragon mix, again." I guess I would be learning now. Lucario used Dragon Pulse, and then put his wrists together and used Aura Sphere. Milotic fell backwards, her large snake-like body barely missing mine, and then she got back up and waited for me to command her.

"Aqua Ring then Aqua Tail." Milotic focused and water rings surrounded her; ready to replenish her health. Then her scaly tail became water and she slapped Lucario to the ground.

"Force Palm." Draken commanded. Lucario jumped up and pushed his paw at Milotic, she took the hit and fell to the ground. Aqua Ring activated, and she got back up.

"Water Pulse." Pulsations of water hit Lucario hard. "Hydro Pump." He was thrown across the room harshly.

"Pulse." In a second, Milotic was on the floor screaming. Her eyes had glazed over with blackness. Then, Lucario lit up, and Dragon Pulse activated, and shot to Milotic. It snapped her out of Dark Pulse, but hit her _hard._

"Twister." I commanded. Milotic made the tornado and it engulfed Lucario, throwing him around hard.

"Aura Sphere." Lucario got back up and sent the psychic ball to my Pokémon. It hit her face and she screeched. She wasn't happy.

"Twister, again!" Milotic shook her head and a tornado took off towards the foe. Then, water exploded from her mouth, pushing Lucario a few feet backwards.

"Dragon mix." Lucario used Dragon Pulse. The Dragon energy pulsing through his body and shooting out like a beam at Milotic. Then, he tossed the energy ball that met my Pokémon and dissolved on her skin, making her whine.

"Aqua Tail." I yelled. She was getting angry; something I had never seen of her before. She whipped her tail around and smashed it on the foes side, causing him to face-plant on the floor. "Aqua Ring." She started to focus.

"Stop her." From the ground, Lucario looked at Milotic. Then she fell to the floor, screeching and squirming. Her eyes covered in shadows; blocking them from the real world, making her watch horrific scenes. I winced for her. "Force Palm." Lucario jumped up and ran across the field, he pushed his hand on Milotic and sent he backwards a few feet. The shadows left her eyes, but then they rolled back in her head. I returned her and pondered on my next Pokémon.

"Spiritomb, let's beat him!" I was worrying. There was little chance for me winning; that made me feel sick. Just what Lea wanted.

"Pulse." Draken commanded. Now it was Spiritomb's turn. Her eyes glazed over and blended in with the rest of her hazy body. She screamed. Then, Lucario sent out the powerful beam, and it covered her body; extra pain. I bit my lip.

"Shadow Sneak!" She escaped the moves, not without being harshly harmed, and appeared next to the rival. She tackled him, and he fell on the floor, hitting his head. "Sucker Punch." The shadowy, bodiless fist appeared and whaled on the opponent, making him cry out in pain. Spiritomb grinned and disappeared; appearing on her place in front of me.

"Dragon Pulse." Lucario got up and glowed, and before I could react the beam was shooting at my Pokémon and engrossing her. To our luck, the beam only lasted a few seconds.

"Ominous Wind." Spiritomb shot out 'arms' of ghostliness that wrapped around each other, forming walls around the opponent. You could hear him screech from behind the walls. "Faint Attack." Spiritomb disappeared, and then you heard the final screams of the foe. When the walls dispersed, Lucario was fainted. I smiled.

Draken returned his Pokémon and cocked his head again. His eyes were deep in thought. He got another Pokéball. "Salamance, have a good battle." A huge dinosaur materialized. He was a blue color, with large red wings and stood on four legs. He was intimidating, but Spiritomb didn't think so.

"Do what we just did again!" I yelled. Spiritomb obeyed and used the two moves perfectly. Salamance seemed somewhat unaffected, and that made me worry more.

"Power mouth." Draken commanded. Salamance opened his mouth, and Dragon energy poured out and shot at Spiritomb, she screeched and made unpleasant noises. Then fire coated the inside of his mouth, and he lunged forward and bit my Pokémon. Of course, his mouth went right through her, but she still felt the pain.

"Sucker Punch." The fist appeared and slammed into Salamance's side, and he was pushed to the ground.

"Dragon mix." Before I could double-hit, Salamance was using Dragon Breath again. Then, almost instantly after that attack, he was across the field, foot glowing, the claws extending, and swiping across Spiritomb's body.

"Ominous Wind then Shadow Sneak." My Ghost Type didn't miss a beat. She got the walls up, and morphed into nothing but a shadow on the ground, and slid under the walls; unharmed.

"Avoid the attack." Draken shouted. Salamance flew up into the ceiling. The walls dispersed, and Spiritomb morphed into her regular state, and Salamance darted down and tackled her, using Fly perfectly.

"Sucker Punch!" The fist punched Salamance off of her, but as she collected herself, you could tell how tired my Pokémon was.

"Dragon mix." Salamance spewed the stuff on her, and then swiped his claws over her body, messing up her ghost figure. She slumped into a puddle, and I returned her.

I was really worried now. That left Garchomp. She was strong, but was she strong against her weakest Type? Of course, the only thing that can beat a dragon is another dragon, so the odds were at least kind of even. "Garchomp, let's take him down!" She materialized and roared.

"Power mouth." Dragon Breath hit hard. Garchomp crashed to the ground and growled. When the foe bit into Garchomp's side with Fire Fang, she punched the Pokémon and escaped his grasp. But the burn, and teeth marks, were there.

"Use your Dragon moves!" I called. Garchomp leapt into the air and quickly glided to the opponent. She started to glow purple, and she zoomed towards Salamance at lightning speed and tackled him. He fell to the ground hard and roared at her. She sat on top of him, forcing him to stay on the ground. She lifted her hand, her claw glowing as well. She swiped it on his chest and then jumped up. Salamance got up slowly; the hit was powerful.

"Fly!" Draken commanded. Salamance shot through the air and attacked my Pokémon, both of the hitting the ground, then jumped back up.

"Crunch." Garchomp lunged in and bit the rivals wing, making him screech. My Pokémon's claw glowed, and she scratched the foes face. I smiled. Salamance threw her off and got up.

"Dragon Claw." Salamance used the move on Garchomp, and she roared in pain. She looked at me.

"Dragon Rush." I yelled. Garchomp instantly turned purple and tackled the rival. He fell to the ground again. She sunk her teeth into his leg before jumped off. He hissed as blood started to form at the bite marks.

"Fly, again." Salamance swooped into the air the darted downwards at Garchomp. She was hit hard and thrown across the room. She stood up slowly. That was a bad sign. "Dragon Breath."

"Dodge!" I screamed. Garchomp burrowed into the ground. She popped out under and Salamance, but he flew into the air and avoided it. "Dragon Rush!" She swooped up after him and tackled him. She pushed his large body to the ground. He broke the floor as he crashed into it, and Draken and I both knew he was down for the count.

He returned his Pokémon. "Interesting, you've got me down to my last. But, I have gotten you down to your last as well. Who will prevail, I wonder?" He smiled and held up his Pokéball. "Dragonite, claim victory!" The large Dragon Type materialized. He was the same height as Garchomp, but was much bigger around. He had wings stuck out to the side, and teeth sticking out of his mouth. He roared, and Garchomp roared back. This was it.

"Dragon moves, now!" I commanded. Garchomp used the Dragon Rush, Dragon Claw combo. She made the foe hit the ground, then gave him a red line across his stomach. The moves were definitely effective.

"Tail plus." Draken shouted. Dragonite swung his tail around. It quickly morphed into Aqua Tail and then slammed into my Pokémon. Then, the tail morphed back to normal, and the rival jumped up in the air, turned upside-down, and hit his wings against Garchomp, making her roll backwards a few feet. She jumped up and roared.

"Dragon Rush!" She tackled the in-air Pokémon, bringing him to the ground harshly.

"Dragon Rush." Draken commanded. Dragonite started to glow, then turned the table. He pushed Garchomp to the ground, breaking the floor as he did, then jumped up off of her. She leapt up after him and used Dragon Claw. "Slam." Dragonite smashed back into Garchomp. They both his the ground hard, but Garchomp took the most damage.

My Pokémon stood back up. "Crunch." She lunged in and bit the foe hard, he yelped and escaped. "Dragon Claw." She swiped her claw across Dragonite. She was tired, I knew she was about to go down.

"Dragon Rush, one last time." Draken knew it too. Great. Before I could react, Dragonite had Garchomp on the floor, and she let our one last roar before fainting. The battle was over.

We returned out Pokémon. Defeat set in. I didn't know what I was feeling. Anger brewed in the pit of my stomach, but sadness lumped in my throat. I didn't win. I didn't win. I wouldn't be seeing Lea today. That's what that card meant. It didn't matter that I got those potions, Lea knew I wouldn't have made it that far. And I couldn't even beat an Elite, I wouldn't be able to beat the Champion. I mashed my lips together. I looked up, Draken was coming my way. He didn't look pleased. I walked towards him.

"Nice battle, Cynthia." He stuck out his hand. I gathered everything inside me and shook it. "Although, I haven't been completely honest…"

I cocked my head. "What?"

"Well, why don't we take a seat?" He pointed to the corner behind him. A platform listed up, bringing two wingback chair with it. We walked over and sat down.

"What is this about?" I asked.

"Patience is a virtue." He cleared his throat. "One thing I haven't been honest about is my name…It's not Draken, it's Drake. And I'm not from Eterna, I'm from Oreburgh." I wasn't following. He took in a deep breath. "Right before Oreburgh, went under, for lack of a better statement, myself and a group of mineworkers escaped through the tunnels. We had a plan. We were able to get in touch with an ex-Oreburghian who works in Hearthrome. He got into the mainframe of the system and was able to change our names and information. I started traveling, and as I said, pursuing my Dragon Type interest." He paused. "Let me skip ahead. Lea approached me with this offer. I wasn't going to take it, at first. The last thing I wanted was for Lea to know me and figure out my secret. He started to beg me…Quite childishly, actually. And he told me he needed me to beat you, so I accepted. Not for the cruel reason you're thinking, however. Let me just say this…" He leaned closer. "Pete was a personal friend. He helped us escape. I knew of his _planning's,_ and I know you're a part of it."

"So…What does this have to do with anything?"

"This means, Cynthia, I'm going to join your group, even it's a bit too late, and I'm going to let you move on…If you want to."

My heart thumped quickly. I sat up straight. "Of course I want to move on, why wouldn't I?" I couldn't get the words out quick enough. Then I realized. "Because I can't beat him."

He shook his head. "I excel that fool…But I do believe it's quite dangerous. He's crazy. I've seen him slip more and more into craziness with only the few days I've been here. I wouldn't suggest you continue on. Take more time to train, then try again."

I stood up. "Sorry, Drake, I'm going for this. I'm not a quitter. I've worked so hard for this…I will be the champion today."

He nodded. "Do go on, then. I'll be wishing you luck." I slung my bag over my shoulder and jogged to the door. It slid up, and I entered the next room. Yes, I was nervous. So nervous, I had to force myself to breathe. But I wasn't going to think of one bad thought. Just kept my head in the game. I used my six revives and the potions needed on my Pokémon. I was going for this. I walked up to the next door.

I walked into the room. It was extra-large, as was expected. The floor was black with gold lines. Solid gold, no doubt. The walls were black with large pictures on them. On one wall, there was a Gyradose, Dusknoir, and Weavile. The other wall was Honchcrow, Mismagus, and Gliscor. His Pokémon. I swallowed the lump in my throat. Then, I noticed the man standing in the middle of the room.

Maroon, his advisor.

"Welcome, Cynthia…I'm afraid there has been a change of plans."

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Note: <strong>Change of plans?! What tis this magic?! Oh I do wonder what that Maroon means! Oh wait. I know. Hehe, I'll never tell!

Totally just quoted the best YouTube video ever. Does anyone know what it is? I'll be seriously impressed. Anyhow, WE ARE NEARING THE END. Although, you all should have expected there to be a twist...I mean, did you really think it would end the normal way? I guess I'm not following the games/anime in what I'm doing but...Oh, just read the next chapter! It will take longer, because I'm going to do my write two post one thing again. **Reminder: **The poll is still on my profile. Who do you want me to write a short story/backstory of? I'll be honest, I'm rooting for Lea. And once this story ends...You might want me to write a short backstory. Just saying.

Thanks for reading! Fifty reviews from 200...I don't even care if we make it. You guys have blown me outta da water. My socks have been knocked right off of me. So, from the bottom of my hearts, (I have multiple...I'm a gamer) THANK YOU!


	45. Tree

_Chapter Forty-four: Tree_

_The Next Step_

My eyes narrowed. _'Changes?' What does this guy mean? _I thought. My body tensed. Something crawled up my spine. The hairs on my neck stood up, and chills ran through my arms. For some odd reason, I got an awful feeling. If I thought it was hard to breathe before, I should have seen myself trying to suck air into my nostrils then.

Maroon cleared his throat. "Cynthia? You look pale." His mousy voice shook. He pushed his glasses, which were at the tip of his nose, back into their rightful place nervously.

I ignored him. "Changes?" My brows furrowed. "What kind of changes?"

"You won't be battling Champion Lea today. He had some very important business to attend to…He sends his apologies."

"What business?" I asked. Although, if I really thought I was going to get a real answer, I was a lunatic.

He gulped. "I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to say."

I dropped my bag and started on the field. "Not at liberty to say?!" I yelled. "Tell me what in Sinnoh is going on here!" I approached him. He was so short that I towered over him. I could see the sweat forming on his face.

"Champion Lea had to make an emergency trip from the League…I'm very sorry, but I do believe you should be leaving." He cleared his throat again.

"Leaving?! I don't care, I came here for a battle, I went through a pink hell for this battle, and I'm simply not getting one? What was so important?" I was a bit frazzled…To say the least.

"Yes, you're simply not getting one. It's time for you to go now."

"_I'll_ tell _you_ when it's time for me to go!" I yelled. And then when a hand was laid on my shoulder, and it was a huge guard, I stopped yelling. The guard gave me my bag and escorted me towards the back wall, where part of the wall opened into a door. "Why don't you just kidnap me, Maroon? Wouldn't Lea like that better?" I hissed.

"Then people would come looking for you. Wouldn't want that, now would we?" His mousy voice was less intimidated. _Right. Let all these guards do your dirty work and talk big. That seems right. _The guard took me down a winding hallway.

"Where are we going?" The guard had a firm grip on my arm and was leading me down a small, endless hallway…I was curious.

"The back way, if you _must_ know." He rolled his eyes. We made a turn, and I saw the door. The guard opened it and led me out. "You're expected to leave League property right now, and to stay away until you're given notice to return."

"Wait, what?" I frowned. "That's not right!"

"You're trespassing, at the moment. Leave, or you'll be sued or thrown into jail. Your choice, ma'am."

"For your information, my Flying Type is unusable. I just battled the Elite Four." I crossed my arms over my chest. "I can't leave."

He frowned and grunted. "You like to be difficult, don't you?" I smirked. He grabbed a radio type thing and held it up to his mouth. "I need a revival for Cynthia's Pokémon." A minute later, another guard came to the door and handed me a Revive. The other guard nodded. "Now you'll be off. Your notice will be sent to you in a few weeks."

"A few _weeks_?! That's insane!" I yelled. "I can't wait that—" The door shut. I noticed that the door closed and blended into the League's walls. I wondered how many doors were hidden in this wall. _No time to worry about that. I need to get to Sunyshore and figure out where in Sinnoh Lea is. _I released Thumper and healed him. Then, we started for good old Sunyshore.

* * *

><p>It was dark when I reached the small beach nestled behind Sunyshore. I landed and returned my Pokémon. Even though it was nearing bedtime, the city was very much awake. I wandered into the town and tried to program my mind to remember how to get to the gym. I wasn't worried about the Center. A thought occurred: <em>What if people see me? I'm supposed to be beating the League.<em> I was glad it was dark.

I rushed to the second story of the town and found the gym. I busted through the door. Of course no one was there at the field. I looked at the back wall, there was another door. I jogged to it and knocked. I became suddenly impatient and just opened it. It was a small room with a circling staircase going to the second story; Volkner's home. "Volkner!" I yelled. _Please, dear goodness, be home! _"Volkner! It's Cynthia!"

A head popped out of the doorway at the top of the stairs. I never thought I would be that happy to see his messy blond hair before. "Miss Cynthia?" I started sprinting up the stairs and blew past him. He gave me a weird look. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh Volkner, something's happening." I was shaking. I had gut-wrenching awful feelings.

He came to me. "What? What's happening?" He looked concerned.

"Lea wasn't at the League." He gave me a look of disbelief. I told him everything that happened. He didn't say much. But I knew that he was as worried as I was, especially when he turned pale.

"This isn't good." He scratched the back of his head. I nodded. He reached for the remote. "Nightly news might be on by now." He clicked the television on. A commercial played and ended, then the news logo spun around. The words "Attacks Again" appeared, then the news anchor came on. "We have investigators in Celestic now."

Celestic, of course. I felt my stomach curl. I placed a hand on my stomach and clenched my jaw.

"Uh, please don't throw up." Volkner said. He placed a hand on my shoulder and quickly pulled it away.

I sighed. "This is just what he'd do." I muttered through my teeth.

"I know." He spoke carefully.

"I've got to get home." I stood up from the couch, so did Volkner.

"I should go with you. It's dangerous flying at nighttime." He had a point. I wasn't even thinking straight at that time, I was just trying to hold back my tears. I nodded my head and my throat ran dry. I swallowed, and it hurt. We ran out to the front of the gym and I released Thumper. Volkner got on first, and I sat behind him. I'm glad he took over to fly, because as soon as we got into the air I started to cry. Volkner acted like he didn't notice, and I acted like there wasn't a few gallons of salt water flooding out of my eyelids; that worked perfectly.

By morning we arrived at Celestic Town. We were both deathly tired, but as soon as we landed, it was like I had a full night's sleep. We landed on the side closest to Cornet, because the other side, and where the ruins was located, a bunch of news-related people stood around. And the last thing I needed was to be seen by an interviewer.

We rushed to my house, unseen, and opened the door quickly. Grandmother, along with about the whole population of Celestic, was in my living room. I shut the door, and I got multiple weird looks…And so did Volkner. Jamie jumped up and ran over to me. She was crying, and tears started to well up in my eyes. "Did you hear?" I nodded. "A whole wall fell down in the ruins due to some explosive!" She sniffed.

Grandmother came to my side. She looked tired and distressed. "Everyone, please excuse me while I have a word with my granddaughter." We walked into Grandfather's study. His scent was still in the air, along with a bunch of dusts specs. Grandmother moved behind the desk, trailing her fingers on it, leaving lines in the dust. Behind the desk was a window, she opened the thick curtains, causing dust to fly up into the sunlight beaming in. She looked back down at the desk. "An attack on us…It finally happened. I assume I should have expected it sooner or later." She looked back at me.

I nodded. "Was anyone hurt or effected?"

"No. It happened when we were all home last evening. They knocked down a wall completely, revealing a picture etched on one. No one could possibly know about it." She shook her head.

"Grandmother, it was Lea, I know it." I said. "I was supposed to be at the League yesterday, remember? I was there, I fought the Elites, and when I got to Lea, they said he was away on _business_ and I couldn't battle him."

She closed her eyes. "Goodness, I am so glad you weren't near that man."

_Me too. _"I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do—"

"Absolutely nothing, that's what." She cut me off; her voice stern. "You are not getting involved."

"Grandmother, if I became the champion I would be involved with everything. I think I should start getting involved now. I need to…To…Talk with someone and hunt down Lea. And I'll…" I drew a blank.

"Cynthia, why don't you go to bed? I'll send everyone off, and we can both get some sleep." She put her arm around my shoulder and walked me to my room. "I'll make up the sofa for the boy, too." I nodded and crawled into bed. My bed was so comfortable. It was mine. Like that house. Like that town. Mine.

Slowly, I drifted away into oblivion.

* * *

><p>I woke up at lunchtime. Grandmother had made up salads. Volkner was still asleep on the sofa. "Sleep well, dear?" Grandmother asked. We sat at the table.<p>

"Yeah, like a baby." She smiled. "Is Jubilife still here?" I asked.

She shook her head. "No, they left not too long ago. They didn't like it here."

"Of course they didn't. Good thing we like it." We laughed.

Volkner walked over to the table. He had to sleep in his clothes, since he didn't bring anything. "Good morning, ladies." He sat down and rubbed his eyes. He poked his fork at the salad.

"More like good afternoon." I corrected. He smirked at me, and I smirked back. I finished my salad. "I'm going to head out to the ruins and see the damage." Volkner nodded and stuffed more lettuce in his mouth.

"Be safe." Grandmother said.

"Of course." I walked out of the house. The fog hadn't lifted much, and the cold hit my sleeveless arm. I rubbed my hands on my arms as I walked to the ruins.

I stepped into the cave-like ruins. Where the back of the ruins used to be, a pile of rubble laid there. There was rubble everywhere; it was actually in ruins. I pushed through the rough and to the newly revealed part. There was, in fact, an etch in the middle of the wall. I studied it. It was a triangle, it had a circle 'light' in the center, and three diamond shapes around it. There was Unknown Writing everywhere, but I only knew bits and pieces of the language anyway, trying to decipher it was useless. I looked back at the picture. It was so odd. _Lea knew this was here…That means it's important, but, what does it mean? How did he find it? _I heard footsteps. I assumed it was Volkner, but when I turned around, it was someone else.

"Perplexing, isn't it?" Grandmother asked. She stepped over all the rubble and came to my side. She touched the picture. "How did this get here, and why was it hidden?" She moved her hand to the left of the painting and over some Unknown Writing. "This is so old, it's practically unreadable."

"What does some of it say?" I wondered.

She squinted. "A roar is just…A rend is more…One who is able to change forms…Together they will overtake…" She focused. "That's all I can get out of it. It's written very oddly." She looked at the next set of writing. "This one is short. Whispers in the wind…Spots in the sand…The Decree has saved us from Worlds End. That's odd, don't you think?" She looked at me, but I wasn't saying anything. Whispers in the wind, spots in the sand; the poem from the statues. The one that haunted me. The one that brought my presence around. Lea had something to do with the ghost who haunted me. I felt like I could vomit on a whole town right then. I was so sick. "Cynthia? What is it?"

I tried to pull myself together. "Nothing. I think I need to…Lie down." I started back to the house. I started to jog back. I needed to get to Volkner before Grandmother got there. I busted through the door. He jumped on the couch. "Volkner, I have a clue."

"A clue? What—"

"No time! We need to get to Eterna so I can talk to Oliver about something _really _important. Long story short, it's about this presence that's been haunting me and giving me those insane nightmares—you remember those, right? Anyway, I think Lea knows something about it and I need to figure out what he knows before the world ends!" I spit all the words out a quickly as I could. I took deep breaths then sat down next to him. He was trying to process it all.

"Wait, what?" He gave me a weird look. Grandmother came through the door.

"Cynthia, don't take off like that! You had me so worried."

"Sorry, Grandmother, I thought I needed to vomit." I put a hand on my stomach. I still felt like I needed to vomit.

She made a face. "Don't say that word." She rubbed my shoulder. "Go lay down, dear. I'll make warm tea."

"No, thanks. In fact, I think we need to be leaving soon." I looked at Volkner. He still looked confused, but he nodded.

"Leaving? Where?" She gave me a look.

"Well, we're actually going to go to Eterna."

"Eterna City? Why on Earth would you want to go there?" I looked at Volkner for some help.

"…Because it's great this time of year." He smiled and nodded.

She frowned. "I told you not to get involved, Cynthia."

"It's a bit late for that, ma'am." Volkner commented. Her frown grew.

I stood up. "Volkner's right, Grandmother. And besides, I know what I'm doing. Trust me. But before we go…Tell me everything you know about that picture in the ruins."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't know anything, I apologize. But we've only known about it for few hours, we'll start studying as soon as possible. But Cynthia, I am saying no."

"Grandmother, I'm saying trust me. Please." Before she could answer, I walked back to my room and grabbed my bag. I walked out to the living room and hugged her. It took her a moment, but she hugged back.

"She's your granddaughter, Winnie." She muttered in my ear. I smiled, that was exactly right.

* * *

><p>A few hours later we arrived in Eterna. The flight wasn't as long, but it was difficult flying around Mt. Cornet. We landed in the back of Eterna City. We lingered in the woods, studying a map. "The Center is here." I pointed to the orange dot marking the Pokécenter of Eterna. "I think he lives somewhere over here."<p>

"We can't just waltz through the whole area, Miss Cynthia. The 'where is the trainer' thing has probably already started. You'd be mobbed." He had a good point. It wasn't like I could disguise myself.

"I know, I know. But I don't even…" I trailed off. "I bet I know where Oliver is."

A few minutes later, we were walking through a trail in Eterna Forest. I was walking fast. I knew where I was going, I had a pull to the statues. We got to a clearing. The old shack was off to the side, and I looked around for the statues. Piles of rubble stood off to the side, and I walked into the woods. I found the other clearing and the rubble where the large statue once stood. Oliver was sitting on the rubble, writing in a notebook. He looked up. His eyes widened. "Hey, Cynthia!"

"Hey, Oliver."

He stood up and hugged me. "And Volkner, nice to see you again." They shook hands.

"Where's Ember?" I asked. I saw Volkner tense up at his name. I wanted to roll my eyes.

"He's in town working. What are you doing here?"

I laughed. "It's sort of a long story." I sighed. "Lea is somewhere and I couldn't battle him. He went and bombed Celestic ruins. He made walls crumble to the ground, revealing a back portion that was hidden. There was a picture there, it was of three light spheres. But Unknown Writing around it had a weird whispers in the wind, spots in the sand poem of sorts. So, that made me think of the three statues, bringing me here."

He thought for a second. "So Lea knows that the statues mean something."

"He must. If not, he's going to find out. We need to learn what he knows. He's doing something pretty important." I got supernatural chills. I looked around, I couldn't feel my presence. _It must be the ghostly and supernatural air. _

Oliver ran a hand through his green-tinted hair. "We should talk to Annie. C'mon."

Volkner and I stood there. "Oliver, people think I'm supposed to be the champion, I can't walk around town. Bring her here."

"Oh, duh. You guys can go over to Looney McWeirdo's house and wait. I'll only be a second." He took off into the woods.

"Loony what?" Volkner looked at me.

"Don't worry about it, come on." We walked across the clearing and into the shack. The smell of rotting wood hit my nose hard.

"This place smells." Volkner complained. The floor was covered in mud, broken bottles and old pieces of paper. I didn't know where to stand. He made a face and looked at me. "Miss Cynthia…Tell me exactly what we're doing here. What about the presence who's haunting you and giving you nightmares?"

I gulped. "I'll explain once they get back, but…Trust me."

He cocked his head then smirked. "Me? Trust _you_? No deal, too hard." I frowned. He chuckled. "Get it? Deal? Like the deal we made." His smirk grew.

I blushed. "Yeah, I remember that one." Relief hit me once Annie and Oliver walked through the door. "Thank goodness, you're here."

"Cynthia? What's going on?" Worry crossed Annie's face.

I took a deep breath and told them everything without leaving out one detail. The dreams, visions, correspondence, even when I tried to rid the presence. They listened intently and hung on to my every word. Annie seemed really worried at some times, and almost relieved at others.

When I finished, she spoke up. "You should have told us a long time ago. This is serious."

"I couldn't tell you all. What if Lea found out? What if he already found out? What if he's listening now? Oh Sinnoh." I grabbed my forehead and leaned against the wall. I felt a migraine coming on.

Annie came to me and patted my shoulder. "He doesn't know. Now we just have to figure this out…" She stepped away and started rolling thoughts around; I could tell.

Oliver, who sat on the table, looked at me. "You're a few leaves short of a tree, aren't you?"

I couldn't help but laugh. Everything was too insane…Maybe I was a few leaves short of a tree.

"Don't you mean a few waves short of a beach?" Volkner asked.

"Dude, that's Sunyshore, us _cool_ Eterna people say a few leaves short of a tree. No waves or beaches in the mix."

They both looked at me, expecting me to pipe in. "We Celestic people say that you're a few fog bunches short of a…Lot of fog." They busted out laughing. "What? We don't say things like that!"

Annie was lost in thought. She was taking the matter very seriously, and so did we after that. We sat around thinking for a while. Oliver started to shuffle through some papers. "Cyn, remember when we were in here? We learned about the statues."

"Tell me what you learned, again?" Annie asked.

Oliver thought for a moment. "The loon who built it was practically possessed. He said things like they 'revealed' themselves and that's how he built the statues. They made him feel really good, apparently. Then once they left, he missed the feeling so much, he turned to this." He picked up an old bottle and swished the content around inside.

"That's intriguing." She studied me. We were thinking the same thing.

Oliver looked at the papers, then at me, then back at the papers, then at me. "Hey! That's like you!" He exclaimed.

"No duh, Professor Smart." Volkner rolled his eyes. Oliver frowned at him.

"What? I'm not a loon." I was slightly offended.

"Ignore him." Annie stepped closer. "The similarities…Do you think the Pokémon who bothered this man is the same who bothered you?"

"I guess it could be…But the Pokémon doesn't exist. He didn't know who they were, no one who saw the statues knew who they were, it's not likely."

Annie smiled. "I think I just figured it out."

"What?!" We all jumped up.

"When the statue was bombed, the gem that was in its forehead was too hot to touch, correct? There was energy…Pulsing through it, like a heartbeat." I was putting the pieces together in my head. "Once the statues were built, the Pokémon left the man alone, right? But why did they want the statues built if no one knew of them? They're obviously valuable, because they somehow locked their spirits into the statues so they couldn't be caught, and then when they were bombed, their spirits were unleashed, and they started possessing—or, bothering, Cynthia." She grinned.

The three of us looked at each other. "That still leaves _a lot_ of blanks." Oliver said.

"Yeah, what does that have to do with the poems, Lea, and everything else?" I asked. I started to feel that headache. "This is hopeless! We don't even know if you're right."

She sighed and grabbed her temples. "It's getting late. You two should check into the Center and get some sleep, and then we can tackle this in the morning. I'll come to your room and bring my reports and findings on the gem and statues. Oliver, will you do the same?" He nodded. "Great." We walked out of the house. We had to light a lantern a while ago when the sun went down. Annie was leading the way back to town; lantern bright and showing the way.

The town was asleep when we got to the Center. There was no one at the front desk. "She's probably in the back. I'll get our rooms." Volkner said. I nodded and walked into the hallway. Volkner gave me my key and we went to our separate rooms.

I moaned and slammed into the bed. "What a rough few days." I muttered into my pillow. Then, I felt a hand on my shoulder, and chills run down my arms. I felt my presence appear.

I raised my head. There was a black shadow at the foot of my bed. My possessor was here, and it wanted to talk.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Dun, dun, dun! Even though there has been a twist, we're still nearing the end, folks. That being said, things are becoming quite difficult to write...So, I'm asking you all to not be afraid to say "Hey, this was worded really weird and it confused me." and such, because there will probably be some of those times coming up...It'll be a little confusing. All for the best, I suppose. <strong>

**Anyhow. The poll on my profile has changed, it is now a tie-breaker! Go vote between Champion Lea and Oliver for a short story written about them. That poll will be open until the end of this story. **

**Thanks for reading **


	46. Decree

_Chapter Forty-five: Decree_

_The Next Step_

The hazy shadow moved forward until it was right in front of me. I sat up and crossed my legs under me. The hand was still placed on my shoulder. Chills ran throughout my body; stopping at the back of my neck. I gulped.

"Do not be afraid." The voice rang in my ear, or was it my head? I couldn't tell. And I didn't care when the overwhelming peace coursed through my veins. I took a deep breath and absorbed all the peace I could. I felt like I could do anything. Having no bad feelings; only good? You feel on top of the world. Nothing could hold you back. Not even your greatest fear.

I swallowed. "What do you want?"

"We're here to give you your answers." _That was easy. But…We? _"Correct, we." I froze. _You're listening. _"We always listen to your thoughts, it is a much more convenient form of conversing." _So tell me who 'we' is?_

"We would rather show you." The peace intensified, and I got very sleepy. "Ready?"

I took a deep breath. "I'm ready." I laid on the bed and closed my eyes. I instantly was sucked into a dream. I was sitting on a cave floor. I looked up, I was in the ruins. The painting was directly ahead of me. I tried to move, but I couldn't. I was glued to the floor. If I didn't have great peace, I probably would have been worried. The three circles on the painting lit up, and light orbs came out of them. They morphed into the shape of Pokémon and materialized. They were the Pokémon from the statues.

"We are Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf." Their mouths weren't moving, so I assumed they were talking telepathically. "Uxie, the Being of Knowledge, Mesprit, the Being of Emotion, and Azelf, the Being of Willpower. Together, we are The Beings. We are extremely powerful. That is why we stay hidden. But, we need your help…Quite desperately." The scene changed. We were in the back part of the ruins, but I noticed it was before the wall was knocked down. Two Pokémon appeared in front of me. One was the weird Legendary from one of my previous dreams. Purple, six legs, a pink and blue gem on its chest, and huge shadowy wings. The other had the same body shape as Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf, but a blue head, pink tail and a yellow body completed with three gems on its forehead. I thought back to my previous dream, this Pokémon had been represented by a giant gem.

The Beings appeared beside me. "That Pokémon, is us." I looked back at the mystery Pokémon. _What?_ "Listen."

"Danger…" The purple Pokémon said. "Danger draws near."

"I know." It was The Beings voice.

"Arceus' decree has been put to order. You know what you must do."

"I do. I will obey immediately, I don't want it to happen again. Stay safe." They disappeared and I was facing the painting on the wall again.

The Beings faced the wall. "We were once one Pokémon…Byti was our jointed name." The three circles in the triangle on the painting lit up. "Have you ever noticed that there are three Legendary Pokémon that complete each other? Take Raikou, Suicune and Entei for example. Three, a trio. Such as the three of us. Long ago, every trio was one very powerful Legendary Pokémon. Every Legendary you can think of has two partners which complete it, even if they're great at hiding and you don't know about them. When people started to pursue disrupting the Order and capturing us Legendries, Arceus sent out The Decree that all Legendries must separate into three partners. We, The Beings, got someone trustworthy to build us homes…The statues. We hid in there until our homes were disrupted, that's when we needed you."

It sunk in rather slowly. "What do you need me for?"

"Sometime after The Decree was ordered, a Pokémon, Shaymin, separated into three parts. He was one of the most powerful, even after being separated. But, he was not smart, and his three parts were captured, and put back together. He escaped that trainer, and that's when we had our homes built…But, there is a very dark man who wants to put the three of us together."

"Lea?"

"Yes, he is very, very dark."

"How so?" I wondered.

"He has been corresponding with a very evil Pokémon, one who, when separated, was all the darkness and no light of the trio. He's close to putting us together, and if he does, he'll be the most powerful trainer. Mesprit has the power to manipulate emotions, hence why we can get you to trust us, Uxie is the wisest being that ever was, and Azelf can manipulate anyone into doing anything, hence how we got you to eat Pokémon meat even though it was totally against your will. Imagine us put together…It would be chaos."

"How am _I _supposed to stop him? I don't know the first thing about practically anything!" I felt myself slipping away. "Oh no…No!" Everything started to fog up.

"We are starting to lose contact with you completely...We have told you everything you needed to know. You know everything else. We have faith in you, Cynthia Marie Eve…" The voice left and I sat up in my bed.

"Sinnoh!" I yelled. I took deep breaths. I looked around. I couldn't feel The Beings anymore. I felt dreadfully tired. I couldn't fight it. I laid back down and sunk into a dreamless sleep…

* * *

><p>Someone started to shake my shoulders hastily. My eyes shot open and I sat up quickly; so fast I ended up hitting Annie in the face. She grabbed her cheek. "Watch it, Cynthia."<p>

I smiled sheepishly. "Sorry." I looked around. Volkner, Annie, Oliver and Ember stood in my room. "Ember." I said. He smiled.

"Good morning, sunshine. Glad to see you're a lazy Snorlax." He grinned.

I frowned. "Thanks." I rubbed my head, a little bit of a headache still there, and then the dream came back to me. I gasped. Everyone looked at me weird. "My presence came to me last night, and gave me another dream." They crowded around my bed and I told them everything. That The Beings were the same 'possessors' that bothered Loony McWeirdo, as we all started to call him, and how they were once Byti, one Pokémon, and that Lea wants them and is conversing with an evil Pokémon.

They were all silent. They probably felt the same thing I felt: Defeat. Lea has been a step ahead, and we're three steps back.

Oliver was the first one to speak. "What do you think The Beings meant by losing contact completely?" He asked. I shrugged.

"Simply that." Annie said. "They are losing contact completely. They are, obviously, Psychic Types, and they are pretty powerful for being able to keep up contact this long, but the time has run out."

"It probably didn't help that I tried to send them away supernaturally so many times." I muttered. I didn't actually mean to say that out-loud, but it sort of slipped.

"No, they're Psychic Types, they were probably unaffected by all of that. If they were Ghost Types they would have been gone long ago." She scratched her head. "Being of Knowledge, Willpower and Emotion…How amazing. They are, most likely, the most powerful Pokémon put together."

"We can't let that happen, then." Volkner said, stating the obvious.

"Oh no, we cannot. We better start researching…" She pulled a large folder from her bag. "This is everything I've got on the statues, gems, and such. It's a bunch of nothing, now that we know practically everything, but it may come in handy."

Oliver took off his backpack and unzipped it. He pulled out his familiar notebook. "This is my notes on the statues and Loony McWeirdo…More nothing." He tossed it on the floor and sat down, everyone else did the same.

They seemed to be getting discouraged, so I decided to pipe-in. "Well…One thing we need to know is which Pokémon is with Lea, and another thing is where Lea is."

"What about the lakes?" Volkner added. "He could be there. The Golden City Research Lab has that all sealed off."

"That's a great possibility." Annie said. Then her eyes widened. "The lakes, why didn't I think of this before!" Everyone perked up. Then she slumped down again. "Oh, I got too excited, when you said the lakes…I thought about an old story my mom used to tell me."

"What's the story?" Ember asked.

"It's just a dragon-tale…But it mentions The Being." She thought hard. "It says something along the lines of The Being, who had three sacred lakes made for it, because it needed hiding places that were connected to the Otherworld. The lakes had great powers, making it so no others could enter them. The Being hid in the lakes, until one day had to be banished into stone." That sounded about right. "But, this talks about _one_ being, and The Beings were not banished to stone, and they said nothing about the lakes, right, Cynthia?" I nodded. "So…This dragon-tale means nothing."

"Hey, I used to hear the same one." Oliver said. "My mom loved those dragon-tales, I bet I still have the book at my house." He stood up. "It could be helpful." He shrugged. He left the room.

"It's a good idea to look into the lakes." Annie said. "I'll go to my house and go through my personal library, I'll see if I can dig up anything on the matter." She stood up. "I'll hurry, I know we only have a short time." She walked out of the room, leaving Volkner, Ember and I.

We looked at each other. Awkwardness set in. I knew it must look weird to Ember, because I came here with Volkner, again, and I knew Volkner must be angry because he was in the same room with Ember. That left me feeling incredibly awkward.

"So, Cyn, how's it going?" Ember smiled. Volkner frowned.

"You mean apart from being involved with three of the most powerful Legendries, learning that I have to stop the man I fear more than anyone else, who is also involved with one of the darkest Pokémon ever, and having to figure it all out before complete chaos explodes? Then, I'm pretty good."

He laughed. "Pessimist, much? The glass is always half-empty with you."

"Only when this is happening." We laughed.

Volkner grunted. "Don't you think we should be putting this time to better use? It's sort of up to us to figure out everything here. Annie is working, the other one is working, and we should be working too."

"How? I can't leave during the day." I said. "And his name is Oliver." Volkner rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, there's not much we can do." Ember added.

Volkner cut his eyes at him. "Then maybe you should—"

"Volkner, I don't want to deal with this today." I snapped.

"If we children are going to play together, we best behave." Ember said.

"You're the only child here." Volkner hissed.

"Enough!" I yelled. "They'll be back soon enough." I said that, and I did think it was true, but I was wrong. It took about two hours for Oliver and Annie to return. That meant two hours of awkwardness and small-talk with Ember while Volkner pouted.

Finally, the two of them returned. They brought in sandwiches. I was surprised to see that Annie only had two books. "Two?" I asked.

Annie noticed the discouragement in my tone. "Yes, I'm sorry. It was out of my collection from Canalave Library, though, so it should be helpful." She took a bite out of her vegetable sandwich. She flipped open the book and held it in front of her face. The cover read _The Three Lakes of Sinnoh_. Oliver took his book and thumbed through it. That cover read _Legends of Legendries_ and had a bunch of designs covering it, an average dragon-tale-filled book.

"Here it is. Legend of The Being." Oliver took a deep breath.

"Long ago, when the moon and sun corresponded, and there was only light, never darkness. There was once a Pokémon like no other. It had a body form that didn't mimic that of any kind, four legs that it never needed, and two arms that were there only to hold together sanity. This Pokémon could make itself scarce whenever it needed, it held all the abilities of psychometrics. The Being was that of light, and not of dark. But that is not how the commoners viewed The Being. They looked at its wisdom and feared it. The Being created three places of sacredness for meditation. It needed to be able to connect with greater powers, unlike any other Pokémon, and legend says that the only way to connect to greater powers is by going through yourself. The Being used the most peaceful places in the land, three lakes. It put bindings on each lake, so no one, except ones who are worthy, could enter. One lake, you must be wise, so wise you can work like an abacas. In another, you must have the heart of a warrior, one so warn you can withstand the greatest of misery. In the last, you must have a powerful and stubborn soul that can withstand even the greatest of temptation. Many people tried to break the bindings of the lake to capture The Being, but none had the brains, heart or soul. The Being did this to show the commoners that they needed to be better people, but instead it made them distrust The Being even more. Feeling as though it failed, The Being left the land, but left its bindings so all could remember the time the world was so light, and weep as the darkness swallowed them whole." He looked up. "Well, that escalated quickly."

"That's not the story I remember." Annie said as she read through her book. "Although, it was quite a long time ago when I heard it."

"That doesn't help us…At all." Ember said. "Yay, we know how the three lakes came to be, awesome." Sarcasm leaked from his voice.

"It is somewhat helpful." Annie said. She grabbed the other book she brought. "This is my book on old languages, when you said Bytí, I thought it could be helpful to learn what it means." She shrugged and opened it. "B…B…B, ah! Right here. Bytí, it means…The Being." She smiled. "Who would've guessed."

"So? That still means little. This is just a dragon-tale." Oliver held up the book. "Dragon-tale, made-up, fake, el-not-realo." He sighed and turned the page. "And here's the Legend of The Great Tooth Monster. I remember this, it's Caylie's favorite, it talks about the Pokémon who steals your teeth. Maybe that'll help." He threw the book down. "This is helpless."

"Maybe we should go to Canalave." Volkner suggested.

"We're low on time, that would just be a major waste. Besides, Lea probably destroyed anything useful." Annie said.

"So what does your book say?" I asked her.

She looked at the pages again. "It says something very different. It talks about the silent lake guardians who protect it. One of knowledge, one of emotion, and one of willpower. The lakes are sacred and mess with your mind. Kind of like the story said, you need to have a good brain for one, heart for another, and soul for the other. They're just peaceful places of meditation. But there are some places where it refers to them as the portals to the Otherworld."

"What is the Otherworld?"

"Well, most believe it's the place the Greater Ones live in. Like, the Legendries of the Legendries."

My eyes widened. "Those exist?"

She shook her head. "I don't believe so. But, they're lakes of meditation that the GCRL has on lockdown."

"Then why don't we visit one? They obviously have something to do with The Beings, everything points to it." Ember said.

Annie shook her head. "Again, we're low on time, and again, the GCRL has them off-limits. Plus, there's no point. The Beings won't be there, and it's just a lake."

I groaned. "This is so dumb!"

Annie went back to reading her book, Volkner and Ember went back to eating and glaring at each other, and Oliver got out his notebook and flipped through it. I just sat on my bed, still in my pajamas, and waited for practically a miracle. "I just need my presence to come back." I muttered.

"No, we just need to figure this out." Oliver said. He studied a page. "Cynthia, didn't you say that there's Unknown Writing in the ruins?" He looked at me. I nodded. "What did it say, again?"

I tried to recall. "Whispers in the wind, spots in the sand…Something about the decree and worlds end."

"Hey, that's the Arceus Decree thing, right? And worlds end is what'll happen if Lea puts The Beings back together…So, maybe the statues poem means more, too." He cleared his throat. "The power of three, united we stand. Whispers in the wind, spots in the sand. The power of one, united we stand. Come together, only in The Tinkers right hand. Broken are we because of true power, we come together in only one holy hour. Broken are we, the power of three." We all looked at each other.

"The Beings _were _broken because of true power. But, what's the come together in an hour thing?" Ember wondered.

"I have no idea." Annie muttered. She sighed. "Maybe we should go to one of the lakes…But which one?"

It got silent again. Then something occurred to me. "Oliver, the two statues pointed to the third statues with the poem on it, right?" He nodded. "Which Pokémon was the poem statue?"

He shrugged. "I wasn't the one who saw The Beings, but…" He flipped through the pages. "This one." He turned it around. There was a carefully drawn sketches of the three statues. Two pointing, and one standing there proud. I noted the head shape.

"That's Uxie. We need to go to Uxie's lake, and fast."

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Note: HAPPY ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY, TCB! What a year this has been...This is, by far, the longest thing I've ever written! So far it's about 430 pages on Word, and if you ask me, that's quite impressive. This year has had its rough edges, but this story has been amazing...All of you have been amazing! You guys keep me going and writing. All your positive energy, it's amazing. Truly amazing. I could go on and on about your amazingness...But I won't, and I'm sure you're all thanking me for that. You guys are fantastic! I want you all to tell me your favorite chapter, character, Pokémon, part, why you like this story, etc. (So far...Because we're not done...Yet.) I can probably estimate three chapters left. So...Yeah. <strong>

**My big question: Was this confusing? If so, any tips? I'm dreadfully worried about confusing...ness? **

**Another question, the cover art, how do we feel about it? I love it, and the artist is spectacular, (Who is also my good friend) so please let me (and ultimately her) know how you feel about it! **

**Thanks for reading...You guys make me smile!**


	47. Hopelessness

_Chapter Forty-six: Hopelessness_

_The Next Step_

Wind and snow whipped past me. The snow wasn't coming down hard, but it was still annoying. I looked beside me, Annie and Oliver were flying on Annie's Vespiquen, and past them Ember sat on his Staraptor. We were on our way to Lake Acuity.

The sun had just set, letting darkness embrace everything. That made me slightly nervous as a flyer. But, it wasn't too much later when we landed. I steered Thumper down to the ground and we landed almost without a flaw.

The snow was knee-deep; we were trekking as fast as we could to the giant wall. There was a sense of hopelessness in the air. We didn't know how much time we had left—or if we were already out of time—and we didn't know how we would get into the _restricted_ lake.

"There it is." Ember said. We were approaching the wall. The Golden City logo was placed right in the middle of it.

"Where are the guards?" Oliver wondered. He was shivering intensely. Even though he had a t-shirt, sweater, and coat on, he wasn't used to this ridden cold.

"They're probably around front, or waiting inside." Volkner muttered. "There's zero chance we're getting in."

"Don't say that. There's a fair chance we can get in. Let's move to the front." Annie suggested. We moved to the front of the wall. We could see the large gate, and four guards. Two standing inside, two standing out.

"How are we supposed to get in? The wall's too high to climb, we'd be seen if we fly over, and those guards don't look happy, so approaching them isn't a smart option." I whispered.

"They need to be distracted, then maybe we can get inside, and when it's time to go we can fly out. It's so snowy they won't be able to recognize us, and we can escape to Snowpoint."

"Who's going to distract them?" Volkner asked. We all looked at Ember.

"What?! Why me?!" He frowned.

"Dude, you've been in The Callousen, you're suited for the job." Oliver said through his chattering teeth. "Plus, Cynthia, Annie and me kind of need to be in there."

"What about him?" Ember pointed at Volkner. "He doesn't need to be anywhere, either."

Volkner squinted at him. "You're able to do it alone, I'm sure."

"He can help." I said. Volkner shot me a look and I smirked.

"Fine." Volkner murmured.

Ember frowned then sighed. "One human distraction, coming up. I'll meet you all in the Center…Hopefully."

"Thank you, Ember." Annie said. We constructed a plan. Ember would attract the first two guards away, then Volkner would go in the other direction, towards Snowpoint, and get the other guards away. Then Ember will make a hasty flying escape and pick up Volkner on the way, then they'll go to the Center, and when we're done we'll fly away. It seemed good enough.

Ember walked out to where he was seen, and the two front guards looked confused, but when Ember pretended to notice them then run off, they took off after him. Then Volkner lingered out front a bit, until the two guards came out of the gate, then he took off running, the guards quickly left their post. The three of us ran to the entrance and shot through with no hesitation. We had to get this done.

The lake was frozen on most places. The sunlight barely poked through the clouds, but what little did sparkle on the ice. The snow wasn't as deep, and the blizzard turned into a light flurry. The place was definitely sacred. I rubbed my head, I could feel the pressure. The 'bind' that was to protect the lake.

"Whoa…Do you guys feel that?" Oliver grabbed his head.

"Only slightly." Annie said. Mine wasn't slight, but it wasn't awful. "We should hurry." I nodded.

"So where is what we need?" Oliver asked, hand still placed on his head.

I looked out towards the lake. "I have no idea." I saw something sticking out in the middle of the lake, it looked like a rock, but I got a weird feeling. "Do you see that?" I pointed out towards it. Oliver and Annie looked.

"It looks like a rock sticking up." Oliver said. "So?" He rubbed his head. He was getting grumpy.

"I think that's where we need to go." I found Milotic and released her. The three of us got on the giant Pokémon and we rode out to the rock. We circled around it, and my hunch was correct. There was an opening in the rock. "In there."

"Are you sure?" Annie asked.

"Positive." That was a lie, I wasn't sure, but there was a…fifty percent chance that was the place we needed to be. I poked my head into the hole. I could see the bottom below. The room grew into an underwater cave of sorts. I pushed myself in and ended up falling a few feet. I landed in a puddle.

"Are you alright?!" Annie called down.

"Yeah." I got up. My back ached. Oliver was the next down, and then Annie. "Are you okay up there, Milotic?" She poked her head in and nodded. "Okay, wait for my call." I heard her splash away.

I looked around. It looked like an average underwater cave…But I felt chills running through my body, but I couldn't feel my presence.

"What are we doing here, again?" Oliver asked. I looked at him, his eyes were droopy. The cave was having an effect on him. I rubbed my head, my headache was there slightly. It thumped a little bit harder.

"We're trying to figure out the next step." I answered.

"Here looks intriguing." Annie walked up to the far wall, where a cluster of Unknown Writing was. Oliver and I walked up next to her. "I'm not an Unknown Writing expert, but…" She squinted. "I think this says 'Awaken to a new form, where we can guard The Sacredness from harm, but when The Three is put to one, chaos has just begun.' Oliver, write this down." She said. Oliver got his notebook and began scrawling. "The temple which is full of cold, is the place the darkness will unfold. Only one can stop it all, with The Three there to help stop the fall." She studied it. "I can't make out the rest. It doesn't even look like Unknown Writing. But, that's pretty informative."

"Yeah, Cyn is the person it's talking about." Oliver said. "Obviously."

"Possibly, but we can safely assume." Annie nodded. "Now…Uxie is the Being of Knowledge, so I we can also safely assume that if someone knows about where everything is going to go down, it's him."

"So, the temple which is full of cold, is the place the darkness will unfold. We can safely assume that's the whole Lea thing?" Oliver asked.

"I would say so." She looked at the writing. Cocked her head at the wall. "Of course, how did I not see this before!" She took a few paces back. She stepped through a puddle and bent over, looking at the water.

"What is it?" I asked.

"The writing on the bottom is written upside-down, and it reflects off the water perfectly." She started to read. "The Being is not to be unleashed, he is only the beginning, then all trio's will cease. When the sunlight falls in the sky, the holy hour will be most high. The Tinker is frozen for good reason, if he is brought out, then will start the Dark Season. These words you read are too strong, once they are read, they can bring harm, this is to be destroyed at once and for all…Otherwise, you will face the repetition of the fall."

We looked at each other. Oliver looked like he would faint. "You guys, I don't feel so…" He fell on his haunches in a puddle. I rushed over and helped him up.

"The effects of the lake must be hurting him." She rubbed her temples. "I have a killer migraine."

"Me, too." I said. "We should go."

"But we have to destroy the words, somehow." Annie looked back at the wall. She got out a Pokéball. "Chatot, scratch up the wall." We watched as the bird took his claws and scraped them across the writing, deleting in almost completely. Oliver made an unpleasant noise, and the three of us, with the help of Milotic, got out of the cave and flew towards Snowpoint. We needed to figure this out desperately.

* * *

><p>We arrived in Snowpoint and met Volkner and Ember in the Center. We went ahead and got a room, just so we had a safe place to be. Once we left the lake Oliver felt better, Annie thought it was just the 'bindings' on the lake. By the time we left my migraine was becoming almost unlivable, but again, once we left it went away instantly.<p>

"So…" Oliver tapped his notebook with his pencil. "The person being talked about here is Cynthia."

"Right." Ember and Volkner glared at each other.

"And everything else we know." Oliver shrugged. "This is a circle. It's all telling us the same thing. Over, and over, and over, and over, and over again."

Annie and I looked at each other. We couldn't disagree. "Maybe we need to go to the other lakes." Volkner suggested. "Maybe there'll be three caves with helpful writing."

"Possibly." Annie muttered.

"So? It'll just lead us down another path of hopelessness. Do you want to go on another No Hope Journey? Be my guest, but I don't." Oliver sighed.

"I agree." Ember piped in. "Might as well get back to Eterna."

"You can't get discouraged." I said. "This is serious stuff." I turned on the television, nothing important was on. "The one time the news _isn't_ on." I mused.

"Let's look again." Annie took Oliver's notebook. "Well, there's a lot of new things here…It talks about The Three being put together would be the beginning of something totally new. And it speaks about the holy hour, which was seen on the statues. It says that when the sunlight goes down is when it's the holy hour, that's something new. And it talks about the temple of cold, and The Tinker being frozen."

"Sunlight going down, that's the sunset, obviously." Volkner muttered.

My heart rate increased. "Temple of cold _must _be Ice Temple!" I jumped up off of the couch.

"Probably, but why are you jumping?" Annie gave me a look.

"Because we know, we need to get there!"

"We don't know everything, Cynthia. We need to have a well thought of plan before we get hasty." She patted the spot beside her and I sat down again. Annie flipped through the notebook and read through the other findings. "We should break for dinner."

We agreed and Ember and Oliver went out to get the stuff. The three of us left just watched the television, nothing interesting or helpful happening. "At least we know it hasn't happened yet." Volkner said.

"It's not as if we would know right away. He could have them and be trying to get the others." I shook my head. "It makes me sick to think about." That was true.

"Me, too." Annie agreed.

Soon, they brought food back and we ate. It was extremely late, so we all camped out in our one room, all thinking the same thoughts as we went to bed. _This is hopeless, we're out of time, there's just no way we'll figure this out… _

Or, my thoughts, which were a tad worse. _It's my fault. I should have never sent them away. I lost my chance. I'm putting so many people in danger. I don't have the answers, and it is causing everyone else to suffer. _

_ Presence, if you can hear me, please come back. We need you; I need you. I need these answers. _

_I need to be at Snow Temple, I need to go stop this…What do I have to lose? _I sat up on my bundle of blankets on the floor. I stood up. Everyone else was fast asleep, and I slipped out the door.

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Note: <strong>I looked through all my old documents and ended up surprising myself. Some of you my have followed my first fanfic, which sucked, Indigo: Journey Begins. It was an OC trainer story with a Legendary Pokémon twist. So original, I know. Well, I had five of the Indigo stories planned, and then an ending Master Trilogy. But the thing is, they're really good ideas. In the Master Trilogy, the first one would've been called Secret of The Dragonite. The point is, I may pursue these ideas, but in different ways. I may create a whole new OC, or use a cannon character, or not...But I have four Fanfiction's planned, so I'll be busy for a while. Although I won't take as long to upload other stories, I solemnly promise. Ehem.

Anyway, that concludes my babbles for this chapter. Twoish chapters are left! I'm so excited!

Thanks for reading!


	48. Chosen

_Chapter Forty-seven: Chosen_

_The Next Step_

I opened the front door of the Center, and a gust of wind blew past. I shivered. Both from the cold and out of fear. I was about to walk into something new and grave. It was scary. In a few moments, I would be face-to-face with Lea.

I didn't want to wait for the others for quite a few reasons. One, they were waiting to have every single puzzle piece put together; we wouldn't have enough time for that, and there was a large chance we would have never ever found everything out

Two, I felt like this was my battle. I had four other people I had brought into this, and they were putting themselves in danger. I couldn't let anything happen to them. The presence chose me. This was my problem; my responsibility.

Three, I couldn't wait any longer. I had to go finish whatever this was for good. The Beings needed me. They were in trouble.

I called out my Pokémon and flew up in the air. I was able to grab my coat and shoes as I left the room. I hugged my coat tighter. It was dreadfully cold in the middle of the night. Dark and cold. Two things I didn't exactly like paired together. Especially tonight.

The moon was high in the sky, and the light was reflecting off of the snow. I saw the shadowy forest. "We're getting close, Thumper." I told my Pokémon. He whined, and I knew he didn't like this idea. Too bad.

Then I saw it. The temple. It stood tall and proud. Right off the bat I noticed the problem: Guards. And a lot of them. A group was surrounding the area; one could only guess how many there were inside the premises. How many there were protecting Lea.

I swooped to the left, I wanted to avoid directly flying over all of those highly trained (For the most part) guards. I hoped that the darkness was on my side and The Callousen didn't see me. I quickly landed and returned Thumper. I felt very lonely once I did. I could _really_ tell that my presence was no longer with me. Or, possibly no longer here.

But I didn't want to think about that possibility.

_Okay, okay…A plan. _I thought. _I can always attack head-on, I can probably out-strength these guys…But there are so many…No. I can try the roof…No. I can distract…No. I can steal a uniform…No. Huh, who comes up with these plans, anyway? Maybe I did need the whole group. Oh well. Too late now. So, a plan…_ I thought for a moment. Then I got an idea. _Better do it before it's too late. _

I straightened myself up and started to proudly walk towards the group of guards. They looked at me with quite confused faces, but then it registered that I was _me_, and they all crowded around me. I didn't look intimidated or scared at all, and I hoped that intimidated and scared them.

"I _demand_ to talk to Champion Lea, right this very second." I said, my loud voice leaking with confidence and a sense of regality I had never felt in my life.

Then, someone pushed me down from behind, pulled my bag away from me, hoisted me in their arms and took me into the temple, where more guards helped bind me with ropes so tightly I couldn't feel my body. And again I have to wonder, how _did_ my plans ever work before?

A guard who wore a different uniform, a commander I assumed, walked up to me. "So, Miss Everheart, what in hades are you doing here, huh?" His voice was husky and smelled like spirits. I would know, because he was an inch away from my face. Intimidated? Oh yes.

"I'm here to challenge Lea, why else?" I matched his tone as best I could.

He laughed. "You amuse me, child." He stood up. He looked at the other guard. "Take her to him. You," he pointed to another commander, "go up and warn him of her arrival." He scurried up the steps and the guards moved me to my feet. He basically carried me up to the second floor. Where the maze used to be, nothing stood.

"What happened?!"

"Fire Types. Can't believe those old monks or whatever didn't think of _that._ C'mon, it's _Ice_ Temple and an icemaze." The guard mused.

The guardians. I didn't even think about them. My heart fell slightly, but then I pushed the thoughts away. _Don't think about it right now. _We went up the next flight of stairs and through the large wooden door. The room was large and icy, much like the other rooms, but there were a few things which were different.

There was a large frozen Pokémon in the middle of the room, next to the large frozen Pokémon was a glass cage with three glowing orbs floating around inside, and then behind the cage was a man, who I recognized right away.

"Drop her." Lea said. The guard harshly dropped me, and then left the room, closing the door. I gulped, my throat ran dry. He walked towards me. I started to panic and wiggle around, but my bindings left me on the floor. "Hello, hello. It's weird finally meeting in person, isn't it?" He grinned.

"Yes, it is weird." I muttered. _In person? _

He chuckled. "Yes, yes." He messed with his hair. I noticed that it was in mats. In fact, all of him was in mats. Black circles were under his eyes, a shadow lined his face, and his eyes were bloodshot. He must not have slept in days. "So, my dear, what are you doing here?" He smirked.

"I'm sure you know, Lea." I was blatantly honest there. "I want answers." I yelled.

"_You_ want answers? But don't you have everything figure out? My evil plan? No, no, I do believe it's more like you owe me answers." He smiled.

"No, I think—"

"Cynthia, this will go much faster if you just help me out here, you know, one friend to another." He cut me off.

I frowned. "You're not my friend!"

"Oh, darn, and I thought we had something going." He shook his head. "No matter, you don't have a choice but help me out, so let's get it over with, and then you can go back to your gym leader and grandmother. Doesn't that sound nice?"

"I don't _have _to do anything. My friends will wake up soon, and you'll have a price to pay!"

He laughed. "Right. Well, let me go ahead and save you a long explanation…That is exactly why I have _armed_ guards. It would be mighty unfortunate to have that happen."

I gasped. Was it possible by me trying to save my friends from danger…I put them at a bigger risk?

* * *

><p>My eyes fluttered open. Someone had kicked my shin. I looked to my side. Oliver. He was such busy sleeper. I yawned and sat up. I was trying to decide if I needed to go to the bathroom or not. That's when I saw the empty pile of blankets. <em>What?<em> I looked around the room. Oliver. Annie. The _other_ one who shouldn't be named. No Cynthia. _Uh oh. _I jumped to my feet, careful not to wake the others. I grabbed my coat and somebody's boots that were next to the door and I took off.

I ran down the hall, into the lobby, then out the door. It was either really late at night, or really early in the morning, or somehow both; I couldn't tell. I stopped and thought for a second. _This is a dangerously stupid idea…But, I have to risk it, because Cynthia is my best, and oldest, friend. Moving to Celestic was the best decision my parents ever made, and I gave it up. I actually made friends there…Now it's time to salvage one of the few friends I have._ I released my Staraptor and flew into the sky, headed for a dangerously stupid destination.

* * *

><p>Lea chuckled. "So, you'll help me?" I was surprised his voice was still smooth. I nodded. "Good! Now let's get right to work." He spun around. "This is The Tinker, otherwise known as Regigigas, he is one of the legendary Golem's. They all have a special power…This one is putting trio's back together. But, as you can see, he's frozen magically and the ice can't be broken…I presume you know why." He looked over his shoulder and smirked at me.<p>

I racked my brain. My mind ran blank. I decided to make a deal. "I can't seem to remember…Why don't you answer a question?"

He turned and grinned. "I like the way you play. Ask away, my dear."

"What did you mean by meeting in person?" I asked.

"Don't you remember our other meetings? You can't forget those…All those times in the ballroom. I'm sorry I wasn't present for the real dinner and dance, but I was so pleased that I was able to have a _private _one with you." I thought back to the nightmares. Those awful nightmares…Filled with blood and torture.

"What…What do you mean?" I whispered, but he must have heard me.

"You know what I mean." His voice got rough, then he snapped back to normal. "Supernatural meetings. It was rather fun, wasn't it? Those meetings? Makes me feel like I really know you." He cocked his head to the side. "Don't you agree?"

Fear coursed through me. "You're…!" I couldn't think of anything else.

"A monster? Oh, we've already been through this. You're the monster." His eyes turned blood red. "Now help me!" His voice was husky and sounded demented. He had a visitor.

I thought of the first thing that popped in my mind. "Have you heard anything of the holy hour?" I stuttered.

"No, please explain, I'm getting impatient!" He yelled. I could tell, and it scared me to death.

"It's the time when you can do what you need to do, it happens at sunset." I couldn't get the words out fast enough. "Now we have a deal…Time for you to answer a question."

He frowned. "Be quick."

"How did you get dragged into this?" I wondered.

"I didn't get _dragged _into anything, I learned of this wonderful thing when I learned of Shaymin…I decided to get my perfect band of Pokémon. I'm currently the most powerful man in the world with my possessions, who wouldn't want that?" He grinned and black shadows surrounded him. "Of course I've had a little bit of help…But so have you…" He pointed to the cage with the orbs. "They're currently energy drained, so they're of no help to you." Of course. "So, sunset? I guess we'll be here for a while then?" He smiled.

"I guess so." I murmured. I looked around. _I need to get out of here. _I moved my hands and wrists, which were tied behind my back. They weren't coming undone. I moved my ankles and anything else I could to find a loose spot.

Lea's head snapped back at me and his eyes clouded over again. "Stop that!" He yelled. He walked over to me and grabbed my arm. He lifted me to my feet. "Don't you _dare _try to escape me."

"You? Or the Pokémon who's possessing you?" I spit.

He growled. "Both of us. You're not perfect yourself, remember them?" He pointed to The Beings. "I thought you did."

"Remember, I was chosen by three Pokémon, you were only chosen by one." The words spilled out of my mouth so quickly, I wished I could pick them up and throw them away.

He pushed me on the floor. I banged my head hard. I looked at Lea. He looked like he could kill. "_I _was chosen by the great and powerful Giratina! You were chosen by Pokémon who were hiding because they're _weak_!" I didn't recognize that Pokémon, but I didn't doubt it was great and powerful. The shadows left, and he cleared his throat. "After the sunset, what do I do?"

"I don't know."

"Yes you do! Tell me now!" He grabbed my arm and hoisted me up again. I thought hard. What does come next?

I thought to the poems…Holy hour, put back together… "I don't think there is anything else. It's just that simple."

"For your sake, let's hope so." He dropped me to the ground again. Some light popped into the window. I didn't notice the small window until then. I noticed that it was directly in front of The Tinker. Made sense.

Some time passed. Lea was looking even more tired and anxious. How were we going to last until sunset?

I watched the light inch up until it touched the base of the Pokémon. Through time it travelled up, and once it hit the middle of the Pokémon, he started to glow. "What's going on?" Lea demanded.

"It must be at sunrise, not sunset." I gulped. Oh boy. The ice melted supernaturally quickly, and the large Legendary grunted.

"Yes! Yes!" Lea grinned then looked at me. "What next?! Tell me?!"

"I told you, I don't know!" Someone grabbed me from behind and lifted me up. I saw the guard uniform. Then, I felt something press to the side of my head. I knew what it was. A gun. I thought harder, and it came to me. The first poem. _We come together, in only The Tinker's right hand. _I looked at the Pokémon. Under his right hand was a door in the wall. "You need to put them in his right hand, and that'll do it."

He smiled. "Perfect. Now, my dear, I am done with you, you monster." He grinned and his eyes turned blood red. Then, the gun clicked, and a bullet went through my head.

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Note: <strong>Only one chapter left! Thanks for reading, I'm anxious to hear what you have to say.


	49. Battlefield

_Chapter Forty-eight: Battlefield_

_The Next Step_

My heart fell. I felt it stop beating for a second, then it picked up again. I closed my eyes as they began to well up. "That was a gunshot." I muttered. I opened one of my eyes and looked at Zoey. Zoey and the other Guardians stopped me before I went in to rescue Cynthia.

But now I wished that I was in there.

She nodded. "Yes, but there's still hope."

"Very little hope." I looked at the sun rising in the sky, then back at the temple. We were behind bushes; a good distance from the guards and the temple. "So are we just going to sit here and let my best friend…" _Die._ I swallowed. My eyes became watery.

"Ember, we don't know anything for certain." Zoey put her hand on my shoulder. "We should get out of here, things could get very dangerous."

I nodded and stood up. We walked away from the temple, and as we walked, I silently said my farewell to my best friend. _Goodbye._

* * *

><p>I fell to the ground hard. My vision blurred out. I could only see black. Everywhere I looked it was black. I tried to suck air into my nostrils, but nothing would come in. I felt my chest ache for air. I tried to gasp in air, and it didn't work.<p>

So much darkness.

My chest stopped aching and I was relieved. I assumed I had started breathing, but when I tried to get air, it didn't work again. I tried to blink. Nothing. Move my arms. Nothing. Kick my legs. Nothing. Flick my tongue. Nothing.

Then I remember the gunshot and bullet…

I had a bullet in my head. _How come I'm not hurting? I should have a headache or something. _But I felt no pain. None. A sensation covered me, and I couldn't feel my body anymore. I lost my senses, sight, hearing, everything, but I knew where I was. I can't tell you where I was, because I can't remember, but I remember being there. That doesn't make much sense, but that's how it felt. I didn't have a body or senses. I just was.

Then, I snapped back like a rubber band. I gasped and sucked in air to my burning lungs. My heart started hammering again. I opened my eyes. The black cleared, and I saw Lea just as he was. Pain pulsed through my head, then stopped. "What the—" The guard started.

I quickly stood to my feet, breaking all the ropes that had me tied up, and pushed the man to the ground, knocking him out. I looked down at the floor, I stood in a pool of blood. I touched my head. My hand was covered in red sticky stuff. My blood was everywhere. I turned around and faced Lea. He was cocking his head at me. "How'd you do it? Your heart had stopped beating." The cage next to him shattered. Glass flew everywhere, piercing mine and Lea's skin. The three circles danced around. Lea quickly grabbed them in his hands, he moved them to The Tinker.

I growled and balled my fists. My mind hadn't cleared enough to be thinking straight, so I just stood there.

He stepped back. The large Pokémon held up the three circles. The door under his hand swung open, and a glass orb rolled out and lifted up. The Tinker held the orb in his right hand, and it lit up. "…One, two, three…You bring them to me…Now, they will become again Bytí…" The circles morphed into one.

"Yes! I am successful!" Lea grinned and started to laugh. He looked at me. His body shadowed over, his eyes turned red, and he grew a pair of black wings. He flew into the air. "Now to take care of the girl." His voice was different again. He darted towards me.

"Oh Sinnoh." I stepped backward and fell. He hovered above me.

"You monster. This is so pleasing to be able to dispose of you _myself_." His hand morphed into a claw and he grabbed my shirt. He lifted me up. "I'll take care of your grandmother, don't worry." He lifted his other claw. An orb appeared and glowed bright, it started to grow larger and larger, and I knew that was what was going to take me out. "Goodbye, Cynthia Marie Everheart."

_Don't be afraid. _Chills ran down my arms. My presence had returned. Peace coursed through me.

_ He's going to push the orb on my chest. I can easily deflect it. _I instinctively lifted my hand. Light beams shot out and pushed Lea away. I fell to the floor, but quickly got up. _Whoa! _I looked down at myself. I was the same. I remembered one of my nightmares…I was fighting Lea like a Pokémon…Like Bytí.

Lea got up and glared at me. "No!" He growled. "You _will not _overpower me again! I will be victorious!"

"Of course I will. This isn't a nightmare, this is real, and the bad guy always loses." I yelled.

He smirked and morphed back to normal. "Is this real? Are you sure about that?"

I paused. "Of course I'm sure."

"This seems to be going just like your nightmares, though…Can you really tell?" He grinned and lifted his hand. He snapped. The scene changed.

I was in the mirror room, in a ball gown.

_Am I dreaming? _The key sign of the dream world _is _unnatural things. And not being able to feel pain. Two things that have happened.

"Ah, questioning yourself, aren't you?" Purple swirled around him. I could see his aura. I could sense the deceit.

"You're lying!" I shot up to my feet and tackled him. When he fell to the ground he disappeared, the reappeared behind me. He grabbed my neck and pulled me to my feet.

"Stop falling down." He said.

I snarled. "Let me go!" I gasped for air when his grip tightened. I held my hand up and light beams shot out again. Lea let go, and I spun around. I pushed him to the ground and hit him again with my light beams. _I need to think of another move. _I thought.

Lea disappeared. _He's going to be behind you…Now. _I turned around and smacked him across the face just in time. Then, he pushed his hand on my stomach, sending me backwards and clashing into the mirrors, shattering them. The reflecting glass rained to the floor in slow motion. I looked at him, he was grinning evilly. The glass was cutting my skin. I watched as Lea raised his arm and snapped his fingers.

We appeared in a battlefield…His battlefield; the League. _"Now I've got the home-court advantage." _I recalled him saying in my past dreams. Now it was true.

"Still deciding if this is a dream?" He approached me and slapped me across the face. I fell to the floor. Blood poured out of my mouth. "Those wretched Pokémon should not be helping you. I'm their owner now, they should help _me._"

"They can't help what's turned dark." I muttered. "You're too evil now."

"Shut up already." I looked up at him. "You don't even have a clue what evil is. What it looks like, what it _smells_ like, anything of the like. I do. And it's not me. Giratina can't help but be what he is…When Arceus sent out the decree, they separated, and he was fooled by his other parts. The Keepers of Time and Space, and he's the Keeper of what? Dimensions, as some would say? No, no…He's not evil." Lea shook his head. "Me? I just want what's truly mine…This fool region has been mine for so long, a _child_ can't rip it away from me. Having these Pokémon, I can be assured that won't happen." Sincerity spilled out around him.

"You're being deceived by Giratina, why can't you see that?" I moved my head. I felt completely fine, but if Lea knew that, he would take me down for good. _You won't convince him of anything, he's about to strike you. Visualize where you want to be, now. _I flicked my eyes across the room. The corner seemed like a nice place to go right about now. I listened to my thoughts and focused. I saw Lea lift his hand to strike, and I appeared across the room in the corner.

"Oh, she learned a new trick. Are they talking to you, hm?" He started walking towards me. My Uxie knowing-all kicked in. _Stare at him hard, visualize him on the ground. _I did just that. Then, he became a hazy figure. He winced and smacked on the ground. Extrasensory; I recognized the move. I smiled then lifted my hand. The light beams hit him, but he quickly deflected them somehow. He flew into the air and over to me, smacking me to the ground. _Think, think, think! Okay, Mespirit is emotion, hence why I can see his aura, Uxie is knowledge, hence why I am ultra-smart, and Azelf is…Willpower. That's it._

I stood up and looked at him. I focused "Stop." My voice was filled with confidence. But nothing happened.

He shot his head back and laughed. "Funny, my dear, but no." He smirked, and I became blind.

Darkness. A lot and a lot of darkness. _What happened?_ My thoughts echoed around my empty brain. What was going on?

I started walking down a flourished path. The dirt road under me was extra dusty today, but I didn't mind. I looked around. The bushes and trees looked a lot larger than usual.

"Cynthia, this is a puffle flower." Grandfather plucked a lone flower from a bush. "They're only found in Floaroma…Or so I thought." He studied the flower. "What are you doing do far from home, little guy? Floraroma's practically across the whole world." He chuckled and looked at me. "Do you think Grandmother would appreciate a flower of this beauty?"

I nodded. "She always does, you know." I laughed and threw my arms around him. It was so good to see him again. I sniffed, he smelled like his cologne, the scent that wasn't overbearing and smelled like his study. "It's good to see you." I said, I held back tears.

He chuckled. "It's good to see you too, pretty girl." I looked up at him. I forgot how tall he was. He smiled and patted my head. He grabbed my hand and led me down the path.

It was enchanting. The thousands of different shades of green were truly enchanting. "Grandfather, why haven't I been here before?"

"Because it wasn't too long ago when I found myself here, Cynthia."

I smiled. "Okay." We walked along the dirt road until we came to a dead end. "There's no way to go." I said.

Grandfather winked. "There's always somewhere to go, trust me." He stepped into the brush and disappeared.

"Grandfather!" I shrieked. I jumped after him. I screamed at the sight. He was on the ground, burning to death. The ground under him shook and opened up, swallowing him whole. "No, no!" I sunk to my knees. I looked at myself. This wasn't my body. Or, it was, but not the way it was now…It was my eight-year-old body. "What is going on?!" Tears streamed down my face.

My sight returned. I was looking at Lea. Dark Pulse, I should've known.

"You're so easy to petrify." Lea smacked his tongue in disapproval. "If you even thought about being champion, that quality would need to be taken care of." I felt drained. If I was a Pokémon, I would be close to fainting by now. I was on my knees, like I was in the vision, but I slumped to my side. He bent down and looked at me. His skin fell off of his body, making his blood all splash to the ground and on me, leaving a skeleton with red eyes. "Time for you to go."

If I didn't have peace coursing through me this whole time, I would have died from fear right there. But luckily, the peace that I feared at times, seemed to be my greatest power. Even after being so deathly afraid, I was never _that _afraid again. Fear became an enigma in my life; no extra peace necessary.

Because of Uxie's part in Bytí, I had enough knowledge to know what would happen next. "I wouldn't say that, Lea." I said. I closed my eyes, my body lit up, and I morphed into Bytí. I opened my eyes. Lea was gaping at me, us, and light beams shot out and engrossed him. A shadow came out of his body and shrieked. It spoke in another language, probably Unknown, then disappeared.

The light dispersed and Lea fell to the floor, as did I. I got on my knees and crawled over to him. "Oh goodness, he's dead." I pressed my fingers to his neck. It took a second, put I felt a faint thump. "Oh goodness, he's _alive_." I inched away. I didn't know which was worse, dead Lea, or live Lea. It didn't look like he'd be up anytime soon.

"Cynthia," I heard three voices. I looked behind me. Bytí hovered there. I stood up and faced it. "We have to thank you for your courage…Without you, this would have gone to chaos."

"You're welcome, but…I owe you the thanks. Without you I wouldn't have been able to…Do whatever the heck I just did." I was complete and utter shock. My heart was racing. I couldn't comprehend what had happened at all.

"We worked as a team." It said.

I nodded. "So…Did I…Die?" I didn't want to hear the answer.

"No, we rescued you before you got to that point. This was not the first time our healing abilities has helped you…Remember when the Pokémon scratched your hands? When you and your loyal companion were almost blown to bits in the mines? When you and everyone jumped from the burning tower? We have always been here to help…But we can no longer do that for you."

"I guess I do remember those times…Thank you so much. For everything. And I understand, you need to hide. Now you're the strongest Pokémon…"

"We shall separate again and return to our rightful place…As lake guardians. As for you, you need to take your rightful place, as champion. Uxie has seen the future, Giratina will turn good and be the help we Legendries need, so that is not of worry." Their three voices in one thing was starting to get freaky. "Do not be a fool, Champion Cynthia."

With that, Bytí left, and I appeared in Snow Temple again. The room was back to normal, with The Tinker frozen, as he should be. The glass orb laid on the floor, and I walked over to it and lifted it above my head. Then I brought it down and dropped it. Hard. It shattered into a million pieces, and I smiled. _This is done. _ I felt like shedding multiple tears, but no tears came. My peace left, but I felt better than ever.

Guards poured into the room and gaped at what they saw…A limp Lea laying on the floor, and me, covered in blood, standing next to him. That was fun explaining. But with the guards came Ember and the Guardians, and soon after Annie, Oliver and Volkner.

I didn't tell the story about where Bytí was now. They would figure it out for themselves one day. I was happy to go back to Snowpoint with the people I love and have all the guards confused and leaving for the League, where I would be the next day, firing every single one of them, started with Maroon, ending with Ember.

Yes, I did become the champion. I did earn it, after all.


	50. Epilogue

_Epilogue_

_With Every Legend, There's a Beginning_

The pond sparkled immensely, but not because of the lovely swishing water, but because of the frozen top it had. Oh, the memories this one pond had; the secrets it kept…It was really mesmerizing to think about. Before I sat there and daydreamed, who did? Anyone? Someone had to build this house next to it, right? Did they find the pond as special as I did?

Probably not. Considering it was just a giant puddle.

"Cynthia, that white stuff sticking to the ground means it's cold, crazy." Ember yelled from the house. I smiled at him, then at the pond. I just wanted to stare at it for a little while. I walked through the snow and into the house.

It was exactly one week since the incident happened. I finally was able to force a break from all the stress at the League. Who knew making Sinnoh normal meant so much Dialga-ridden work? Oh well, it was worth it. The work helped me forget everything, helped me deflect the nightmares that tried to ooze its way back into my unconscious mind. But whenever I touched the scabby scar on the side of my head, I remembered all-too clearly.

I sat on the couch in-between Grandmother and Jamie. Professor Rowan, Volkner, Ember, Annie and the rest of my League supporters were stuck on the floor. They all deserved a break, and what's not a better place than here?

Ember and Volkner settled their differences…Somewhat, at least. Ember had made it known more recently that his feelings for me had changed, and that made me so relieved. I told Volkner that nothing had changed, and he was okay with that. That didn't mean I didn't enjoy having him around, especially to help me out with a few things here and there, but after this weekend of being in Celestic, he'll be at Sunyshore and I'll be at the League, and we'll be just friends.

I didn't have time to worry about Volky, anyways.

I was too busy reconstructing Sinnoh. First thing first, open up the lakes. With The Beings being back at their places, the lakes weren't deathtraps anymore, they were places of great meditation; as they should be.

The walls around the Golden Cities are coming off first thing next week, along with every other wall and electric fence made to separate human and Pokémon. Or, in some cases, human and human. The super funding's for The Golden Cities already stopped, and that was starting to even itself out. Celestic had its proper repairs done to the ruins, but otherwise it had no special treatment. After The Golden Cities get taken care of, I'm sending Professor Rowan's researchers to the lakes to learn everything about their majesty. And since it's needed, I'm opening up Twinleaf Town in place of Camp Valor. Houses for the researchers families will be built immediately.

Instead of the champion having all of the 'power,' the gym leaders and elders have most of the power over their own town or city. Since they rightfully know what's best.

Speaking of gym leaders, a new gym leader was found for Pastoria, when Blake declined. When he came to see me in-person, he was totally different. He apologized for scaring me earlier, and explained he only wanted to protect me, and that he would be travelling to Johto for a while. He will be missed.

As for Lea, he was sent to the best prison in the world. An island miles and miles and miles from here, specially made to be a prison island. Once he came-to, he was pretty insane. Along with confused and angry. I was happy to see him leave, and the island was happy to have him.

I decided to leave the League like it is. The greyness was quite depressing to some people, but it was beautiful to me. It would be a constant reminder to not let what happened to happen again. I would put a few personal touches in, but nothing too drastic. Just enough to make it mine.

The guardians of Ice Temple went back to their work once all the guards were gone. And the guards were all pleased to know that The Callousen was no more. Although, some of them acted like they had nowhere to go, so Professor Rowan hired them as researchers assistants. As always he's the best.

Grandmother accepted my leaving gracefully, and was honestly proud of me. I was honestly proud of myself. That may sound odd…But I was. I set out to do something, and I did it. I succeeded.

"Your grandfather would be proud." Grandmother told me that more now than ever…And I believed it.

Funny, months ago I was sitting at home, studying or doing a chore, mending my garden, spending time with Jamie and Ember…And my life totally changed in one day. It continued to change drastically, and even now it's changing. My life changed when I moved in with my grandparents when I was so young the memories are being forced to be remembered. My life changed again when my grandfather passed away. Although peacefully in his sleep, it wasn't a peaceful affect it had on my grandmother and I.

Now, this change. Another change that's bitter…But this one is sweet. Bittersweet. I finally understand this term. It's when it's sweet in every sense of the word…But then the bitterness sets in. I'm away from my grandmother, the only family I have left, and I'm faced with great, new challenges everyday…Bittersweet. No other way to explain it.

Well, maybe there is one other way, _perfection._

* * *

><p><strong> I don't want this final AN to be SO long...So, here's all I have to say: THANK YOU. I wish I could say that a thousand times...Everyone: Repeat those two words a thousand times. Heh. Yay. <strong>

**This has been the BEST YEAR EVER. This story was awesome to write, and I am so proud of it. In a year, I'll look back at it and gag probably, but right now I'm proud of it and proud of myself. This is the longest thing I've ever written. I've proven to myself that I can write a novel-sized story, because in a few year, I might publish something. So, look for Pure Gamer's book in your stores soon! Wink, wink. **

**Okay, believe it or not, I'm trying really hard not to make this lengthy...So in conclusion: I have a prequel, _and_ sequel planned. Static and Losing My Ground. Static and The Green [Winged] Hero are my planned stories that I'll be focusing on now. AND, STATIC'S PROLOGUE HAS BEEN POSTED ON MY BLOG. I'm not putting in on FF yet, but check it out on .com. Yes, only the prologue, but do go check it out. I have the info on TGWH on my profile, so check that out as well. SMILE. **

**Oh, and I wanted you Fanfiction veterans to give me some advice: Lea won my poll, (YES) and so I'll write a short-story (Aka, his back story) before I start posted TGWH and Static, and what should I do, post bonus chapters on this story, or create a new story? What is better? **

**I wanted to put THE END at the end...But I didn't, because this is only the beginning. **

**Thank you, so much, for reading and supporting me, I love you all! **

**Pure~Gamer**


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